Josef Lederer, the farmer from Amrainerhof, struggles to save the family farm, which urgently needs renovation, after the inflation of the 1920s. The farmer comes up with the fatal idea of burning down the ancient farm and using the insurance money to build a new one. However, the fraud is uncovered, and Amrainer-Sepp must serve a multi-year prison sentence for arson. In the years that follow, the cunning young farmer, patiently and cleverly strategizing, relentlessly pursues a single goal: he wants to keep the farm without having to repay the insurance; he is willing to use any means necessary. Graf wrote this novel based on a true criminal case.