This print depicts Beckmann himself greeting a disfigured soldier who has returned from the war. He beckons towards the left in order to guide him, like the viewer, through the next nine scenes of the portfolio. These show the reality of life in postwar Germany. In the background are war veterans on crutches and a female figure who may be a prostitute or a war widow wearing a veil. The dog in the foreground refers to Cerberus, the mythical creature who guards the gates of Hell.