What remains when the loved ones are gone? Two strokes of fate shake the life of Norwegian author Tomas Espedal: First, his mother passes away, shortly after that, his wife Agneta also dies. The losses demand a new way of living from him, as he is left alone with his youngest daughter. He cannot provide comfort to the girl; the desperate attempt to replace the mother robs the child of her father. Espedal begins to seek solace in exploring his family history. From what, he asks, does a family arise, what do love and betrayal mean, what is motherhood and fatherhood? His art, writing, thus serves the purpose of life. Rarely do writing and life intertwine so closely and inevitably in literature as in Espedal's books. The cosmos of his life, which he unfolds before the reader without restraint, develops an immense gravitational pull.