Intense emotional reactions in the present often have their roots in the past. Like puppets on strings, we become entangled in feelings that belong to a completely different time. And if we do not address the actual causes, we remain powerless. Maria: "You and I, Maria, we are actors in the different films of our childhood and we only believe we are playing in the same play because we are on the same stage." Thomas. Systemic family therapist Christiane Sautter uses the free form of the novel this time to portray the relationship killer "childhood trauma." Using the example of the severe marital crisis of Maria and Thomas, she describes not only the abysses that open up for those involved when a childhood trauma resurfaces due to a current experience, but also how the trauma and the relationship intertwine.