Bobrowski set his novel in West Prussia in 1874, during the German Empire, not far from Thorn. He tells us about the very special landscape, the meadows, the forests, and the rivers; he describes the animals there, the horses, the pigs, and the birds, which come in countless species, whether delicate swallows or plump geese. And he tells of the people. There are the Catholic Poles, Jews, gypsies with violins, vagabonds, cottagers, and of course the Germans, Baptists, Adventists, Methodists. A lively mix. The story at hand is simple: The narrator's grandfather, a mill owner and a German, who is said to suffer from gallbladder issues, has dammed the water and then washed away the mill of his competitor, the Jew Levin, who in turn suffers from heart problems. And because Levin does not want to put up with this, he sues.