Two main characters have been introduced so far. The seemingly most important so far is Joe Kavalier, a young, Jewish man from Prague with unique talents. Joe lives with his brother Thomas as well as his mother and father. He is extremely fascinated by the art of escapism and magic tricks. He is mentored by a fellow magician named Bernard Kornblum who trains him in the practice of escapism. Joe has an extreme passion for this art and practices it almost every day. Another unique talent of Joe is his ability to draw. Joe is very confident in his skills and enjoys putting them to use. Raised in Hitler era Prague, Joe's family decided to send him to America in the hopes that he would remain safe and be able to help them come to America some day. This plan, however fails, as Joe attempts to take a train to leave the country and when doing so, he is kicked off due to lack of papers. Unable to face his family after he fails to make it to Europe, he turns to Bernard Kornblum for help. Bernard Kornblum comes up with a plan in which he devises to intertwine Joe into his secret life. He had been hired by the secret circle of important Jewish leaders in Prague to sneak the sacred Golem of Prague out in order to keep it safe. He devises a plan to get both Joe and the Golem out of  Prague through sneaking them in a crate together. This plan works and once Joe is in America he goes to his cousin Sam's house. The journey to America has taken its toll on Joe, as he looks tired and weary. As he sees Sam and Sam's mother for the first time they talk behind his back. "What the matter with him?" Sam said. "Is he Sick?" "He can barely stand on his own two feet."