In his novel about a "femme fatale," Max Brod tells an exciting love story and proves himself to be a master of character portrayal. Two men fall for the enigmatic Stascha: the hero Mayreder flees with the capricious beauty to Italy, through expensive hotels and magnificent landscapes, pursued by his rival Dr. Karkos. Until Stascha unexpectedly switches sides, which becomes her downfall. "The Woman One Longs For" became Brod's most successful love novel. As early as 1929, it was adapted into a film, featuring Marlene Dietrich as Stascha and Fritz Kortner as Dr. Karkos (named Karoff in the film). It was Dietrich's last silent film and the first in which she embodied the "femme fatale," a role that would soon make her world-famous.