An illegitimate son of the brilliant Emperor Frederick II attempts to provide protection and a new home for disadvantaged and persecuted people of various backgrounds and religions in his small inherited county. With initially weak resources and against great dangers and hostilities, everyone must learn to stand together in defense—not least to enable each individual to live in freedom and to develop their abilities to the fullest. Here, in a small world, the far-reaching ideas of that emperor have a better chance of thriving than in the harsh conflicts of the larger world.