Fanny, the "Queen," is a woman who has been repeatedly struck hard by fate, spending her twilight years alone and remaining silent about her past. The diary on her nightstand, a gift from her granddaughter, lies untouched as Fanny refrains from filling its pages with the tragedies of her experiences. Yet in daydreams and sleepless nights, she cannot escape her memories, and her entire life unfolds before her in tumultuous images: We accompany Fanny through all phases of her life, starting from her childhood on her parents' farm in the 1930s up to near her death. Condensed, clear, and in moving snapshots, these fragments of memory tell how Fanny became an aloof and proud woman. It is a character portrayal imbued with great insight into human nature and high sensitivity that defines this remarkable literary work.