Roland is a rebellious bourgeois boy who despises academia and is drawn to the lusts of the big city. But when he is forced to obey his father's orders and move to a small university in a suburban town, he falls for the charms of a charismatic professor. This professor will change his life forever .

On the surface, the book you are holding is a typical "Zweigian" book, and reading it is like returning home to Zweig's world. Before us is a psychological and exemplary debut novel that deals with the complexity of relationships: one character looks deep into her own soul, thus providing the reader with a glimpse into the mechanisms of the mind that are common to all of us. But despite the constant elements, something in particular sets it apart from the rest . ..
In this novel, Stefan Zweig proves once again that he is not only one of the most talented storytellers of the twentieth century, but also one of the most innovative in his socio-political perception, and in his ability to translate the mindset of his time into a gripping, profound, and emotionally powerful work that is read with bated breath from beginning to end .