The story of an outsider. On the eve of World War I, the young Enrico Mreule boards a ship to Argentina. Behind him, he leaves Görz, his hometown shaped by many cultures. Above all, he leaves behind his close friend Carlo Michelstaedter, the prematurely completed poet, who has defined his life and instilled in him a longing for an Absolute that he cannot attain and without which he cannot live. In this book, told in a concise style that highlights the essentials and opens up unexpected perspectives, Magris has created a monument to an outsider, representing other refugees who do not flee to find themselves, but to lose themselves and their lives.