Mose is an apprentice electroplater at the Van Herwaerd factory in the 1920s. When Van Herwaerd Jr. succeeds his father as manager, Mose is the only one left who knows anything about electroplating techniques. Years later, the Germans are planning to take over the factory, and the manager orders Mose to tell the workers. They respond by accusing Mose of betraying them. His wife Emma’s maxim was, "Keep your head down," and her passion was survival, but that could not save her from her fatal illness. Although she died young, she remains ever-present as the audience for Mose’s inner monologue.