Although dotted with satirical touches and sentimentality, the tone of TRANSPORT TO PARADISE is grim and hopeless. During World War II, the Czech eighteenth century garrison Terezin was designated Theresienstadt by the Nazis, a Jewish ghetto that is apparently autonomous and self-governing (while taking the "wishes" of the Nazis into consideration). The Nazis state the number of those to be transported to "work camps" and the Chairman of the Town Council (Zdenek Stepánek) draws up the lists. Under pressure from the international Red Cross to visit the camp, the Fuhrer send a general (Jindrich Narenta, THE CREMATOR) to check out the operation in advance of the visit. He even has the idea to produce a propoganda film to show that life continues on as normal in the ghetto. When rumors of death camps, gas chambers, and crematoriums reach the ears of the chairman, he refuses to sign the transport papers (his consent not actually necessary other than to preserve the illusion of Jewish autonomy and complicity). The chairman is sent for "special treatment and appoints the more opportunistic Marmulstaub (Cestmír Randa, WITCHES HAMMER) - also known as "Toady" or "The Rat" - in his place. Once they have brutally stamped out the "rumor mill" and other dissent, the general decides that they can invite the Red Cross delegation to judge for themselves. In reality, the delegation visited and were fooled which then motivated the Nazis to have famous Jewish actor/director Kurt Gerron [THE BLUE ANGEL] to produce a propoganda film in exchange for releasing him and his family from the camp (which they did, but they sent them to Auschwitz where they were murdered).