I Am David, David who has been living in a communist concentration camp in Bulgaria for as long as he can remember. After a German officer helps his mother escape to Denmark, whom he is in love with, he orders the execution of his father and imprisons the young boy in the labor camp. Thinking that his mother is also dead, David grows up learning not to trust anyone in the camp. The only person who supports him in the camp is a prisoner named Johannes. Johannes teaches David Italian, French, English, and Russian. When Johannes sacrifices himself to protect David, the camp commander helps David escape. He tells David to go straight to Denmark and gives him a letter that he promised to open only when he reaches his destination. As little David successfully escapes from the camp, his face, which has never smiled before, begins to brighten during this challenging journey.