 Anton was a scientist in Nazi Germany who , following a disagreement regarding the direction of its nuclear program , is recruited by the US and flees via France , Spain , and Portugal . He becomes a part of the Manhattan Project , witnesses the tests , and travels to Hiroshima recording the aftermath . Anton regrets the consequences of the atomic bombs , attends the Pugwash Conference , but maintains his belief that it was necessary to end the war and prevented more deaths . He marries Sophie and becomes a professor at Columbia University in New York . With Sophie , he retires to a small town outside of Toronto . 
