On the eve of World War II, a young, red-haired magician who calls himself Vörös arrives in a small Hungarian village, prophesying death and destruction. The only one to believe him is thirteen-year-old Kicsi. She tries to help him warn the villagers, but the local rabbi, who also possesses magical powers, frustrates their attempts. Then the Nazis come, and everyone in the village, including Kicsi and her family, are sent to concentration camps. Can the power of Vörös, the Red Magician, help them survive?
The Red Magician is a notable work of Holocaust literature, as well as a marvelously entertaining fantasy that is wise and transcendent.