Number the Stars opens with a street scene in Copenhagen. Annemarie, her younger sister Kirsti, and her best friend Ellen Rosen race home from school. On the way, two German soldiers stop them. Annemarie is disgusted by the fact that the soldier's Danish is so poor after three years of occupation. The soldiers interrogate the girls. Annemarie does most of the talking. The soldiers let the girls go, warning them not to run any more because it makes them "look like hoodlums." In silence, the girls walk home as quickly as possible. They reach the building where their families live, careful to avoid notice by another pair of soldiers on their corner. As they part, Ellen admits that she was scared and Annemarie says she was, too. They agree not to tell their mothers about the incident.