Oskar Matzerath is currently “an inmate in a mental institution“ (9). The man who watches over him is Bruno Munsterberg. So that Oskar can write his memoirs, Bruno furnishes him with a pen and “virgin paper“ (10), then watches through the observation slot on the door of Oskar's room. Oskar prepares to start his memoir by thinking about the different ways in which his story could be told. He thinks about innovative ways in which other people have told stories.

Oskar begins his memoir in a potato field in 1899. Anna Bronski, Oskar's grandmother, sells potatoes. At all times, she wears four large skirts “one atop the other” (11) while washing a fifth skirt. She rotates through the skirts in a cycle. Oskar's grandfather is Joseph Koljaiczek. He meets Anna when he is running away from the police, who believe that he has committed an arson attack and has now “escaped” (13). Anna hides Joseph in her many skirts and lies to the police about Joseph's whereabouts while “emitting sighs” (14), during which time Oskar suggests that Joseph impregnated Anna. Anna packs up her possessions and returns home with Joseph, who can “no longer free himself from her skirts” (15).