Navid Kermani describes the situation at the Turkish West Coast, where thousands of refugees in miserable conditions are waiting for a safe passage. On Lesbos, he watches the arrival of those who made it and are now in for a culture shock. He speaks to NGOs and politicians. The main focus of the book, however, are his conversations with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and various other countries: what made them leave their homes, and why do all of them want to come to Germany? With his unique skill of observation and analysis, Kermani looks at seemingly irrelevant details highlighting the cultural and political conflicts that made these people leave their homes, and describes the European reaction to refugees.