Chapter 4
Once Elie Wiesel and his father arrive at Buna, they are put to work counting electrical fittings in a warehouse. They stay in a barrack of musicians with a nice head Kapo. Here, Elie meets Juliek, a musician, and two brothers, Yosi and Tibi. A little while later, Elie is summoned to have his gold crown removed by the dentist. Wiesel is able to continuously put this off until the dentist is hanged for keeping the gold teeth for his own profit. Then Wiesel's work Kapo, Idek beats him terribly, but then a French girl helps and talks to him. Years later Wiesel sees this girl again in Paris and gets a chance to talk to her.
Later Idek savagely beats Wiesel's father, but Elie Wiesel isn't concerned for his father's health or safety, and is instead mad at him for not being strong enough to defend himself. Then Franek, another head of the camp demands that Wiesel hand over his gold crown to him. He refuses, and so Franek takes out his fury on Wiesel's father until Wiesel finally gives him the tooth.
In the warehouse, Elie Wiesel accidently catches Franek with a woman, and in retaliation, Franek whips Wiesel publicly until Wiesel goes unconscious.
Later there is an air raid, and all the prisoners are confined to their blocks. Some days later, a man is hanged for trying to steal during the air raid when he was supposed to be in his block. There were a few more hangings following that one. One which involved a young boy accused of sabotage. When Wiesel sees how they cruelly hung the small boy, he loses his faith in God.
Chapter 5
Elie Wiesel and his father are still in Buna and it is the time of the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Jews come together and celebrate, but Wiesel who has lost his faith is bitter and resents the people for blessing a God that allows so much pain and suffering on the Jews. Wiesel also eats on the day of fasting, Yom Kippur. A few days later, there is another selection, and Wiesel's father is in the group of Jews to be killed. But luckily there is another selection and Wiesel's father lives. But unfortunately Akiba Drumer, one of Wiesel's friends is killed. This causes other Jews to start losing their faith, including a former rabbi.
During the winter, Elie has painful swelling in his foot, and has surgery on it. He stays in the hospital for a while and when he is there he hears that there may be rescue coming soon. There is also a rumor that the Jews that stay in the hospital instead of evacuating the camp will be executed, so Wiesel and his father leave with the rest of the Jews. This turned out to be a bad decision, because the Jews in the infirmary were saved a few days after Buna was evacuated.
Chapter 6
Elie Wiesel and the rest of the prisoners are evacuated from Buna and forced to walk in the freezing blizzard at night. Anyone who slows down or stops gets shot. The Jews stop in a deserted building to rest. Elie and his father take turns resting and watching each other so that they don't fall asleep and risk death. Rabbi Eliahou comes into the building searching for his son, who abandoned him while they were running. Elie sends one prayer that he will never give up hope on his father.
The prisoners finally arrive at Gleiwitz, another concentration camp. Suddenly there is a pile up of the men, and Wiesel and his father are crushed. Then Elie notices that he is near Juliek the violinist. Juliek plays a selection by Beethoven(Which he wasn't allowed to play in Buna) and later dies.
Days later there is a selection, and Elie Wiesel's father is chosen to die. There is a commotion and Elie goes to the side with his father and sneaks to the side for the living. His father is safe for now. Then finally the prisoners are taken to go on trains to the next concentration camp.

Chapter 7

In the cattle cars on the way to the next camp, the prisoners are ordered to throw out the dead bodies, and they almost throw out Wiesel's father. But at the last moment Wiesel saves him. The Jews didn't receive any food or water, but instead ate snow off each other's backs. When the prisoners are passing through towns, some of the people throw bread into the cars and watch the prisoners attack each other just for a measly portion of bread. One man is even killed by his own son for the bread. During the night Elie Wiesel is strangled in his sleep, but a friend saves him. Then the train arrives in Buchenwald, the last concentration camp that Wiesel will have to endure.
Chapter 8

Once the prisoners get to Buchenwald, Wiesel's father is completely worn down and weak, and accepts death. He doesn't move from a spot in the snow, and Elie has to continue to check on his father. Later everyone has to go in the barracks because of an air raid, and Elie falls asleep. When he wakes up, he looks for his father but almost hopes he doesn't find him because that will make things easier. Even as Wiesel gives his father food, he wishes he could keep it for himself because his father won't live for long and Wiesel thinks he needs it more. Wiesel's father continues to ask for water, even though it is the last thing he needs, and so Elie goes to look for a doctor. None of the doctors want to help him though, because Wiesel's father is so close to dying. A few days later Elie Wiesel wakes up and his father is no longer lying in the barracks and has been taken to the crematorium. He is relieved instead of sad, which makes him feel ashamed.
Chapter 9
Alone in Buchenwald, Wiesel only focuses on getting food. There are many selections and Jews are dying in masses. Soon there is to be a mass killing of the remaining Jews, but before that can happen, the American army saves them all. After being freed, Wiesel along with many of the other Jews goes straight for the food. This lands him in the hospital with terrible food poisoning. When Elie Wiesel finally looks at himself in the mirror, he finds a deathly looking skeleton of his former self.