A man who was thought to be dead has returned. And one who was alive just yesterday lies with a shattered skull on the mountain. Teacher Steiner has had a tower built, supposedly for surveying purposes. But in the tavern, they say he intends to throw his wife down there. Yet, he ends up at the bottom himself, with a shattered skull and empty eyes. Who has exploited his perfidious plan for their own gain? And who now inherits the farm that the teacher never wanted? His wife? Or the unloved brother, whose name was prematurely carved into the war memorial? But he returned, and instead of his life, he left only an arm in the war – and all humanity.

Talberg is a small, remote place on the far edge of the German province. Far from the major centers and in the shadow of a massive mountain, it seems that evil has repeatedly gathered here over the decades. Three novels take place at different times in this location. Four local families shape the events – alternately, they are victims, perpetrators, and investigators. And of course, all the cases are interconnected.