Late autumn during World War II: A young man tries to escape from the German troops that are hot on his heels in the Italian Apennines. It is cold and rainy, and dusk is falling. Unexpectedly, the fugitive stumbles upon a clearing in the woods, where a stately house stands in the center. The windows are boarded up, and everything seems abandoned. However, smoke is rising from one of the chimneys. Forcibly, the man gains access and encounters an old man with two fearsome guard dogs. Reluctantly, he is taken in – and stays. He quickly realizes that the house harbors a secret. At night, he hears noises in the adjacent room, and as he secretly investigates, the signs point to more inhabitants. At the same time, the gloomy building proves to be more and more of a labyrinth. Tommaso Landolfi (1908-1979) created a masterpiece with his autumn tale first published in 1947, which is as enigmatic as a nightmare and gripping like a thriller.