Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of religious discrimination, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment.

The protagonist, Beniamino (later called Dom), wakes one morning in Napoli and contemplates how his family has been hungry for months. 10 family members crowd into their two-room apartment. After placing his yarmulke on his head, the nine-year old recites prayers before eating. His grandmother, Nonna, gives his mother a basket of clothes to mend. His mother has been looking for an office job but has been turned down because she is an unwed mother and Jewish. Meanwhile, Nonna sews baby clothes to sell, and it is Beniamino’s job to organize her yarn.

Beniamino learns that he will accompany his mother on errands. On the street, men shout obscenities at her. Beniamino and his mother enter a cobbler’s shop, where a wrapped surprise awaits them. His mother keeps the package a secret as they continue through the city. 

When they pass their synagogue, Beniamino remembers how the Jewish people of Napoli have a history of being kicked out, but always return. His Uncle Aurelio uses this fact to suggest that anything is possible with intelligence and hard work.