A nameless land occupied by foreign troops. Winter refuses to end. Frank Friedmaier grows up as the son of a prostitute in a brothel. The 18-year-old is a child of his time, marked by deception and betrayal. Frank craves experiences, yet nothing can satisfy him. Out of sheer boredom, he becomes a murderer and trades the girl who loves him. When he finally realizes what he has done and confronts himself, it is too late. A great, relentless novel about the question of how evil enters the world. Simenon masterfully crafts a world where the rules of human interaction are suspended, compassion and mercy no longer matter, while simultaneously hinting at a love story against this dark and ominous backdrop that is as surreal as it is convincing.