Almut, a single mother and literary scholar, inherits a sailboat from her father, a dragon – beautiful, but far too large and expensive for her. Soon, the dragon consumes all her time and money. She spends her weekends only at the lake, busy with maintenance and renovation, or running around East Berlin in search of paint, sandpaper, and fabric. The other boat owners, all men, scoff at her – such a boat is not meant for a single person, especially not for a woman. She tries multiple times to sell the dragon, but ultimately cannot part with it. For with it, she discovers a freedom she has never found in her country or in any relationship. The highly praised rediscovery of the GDR bestseller from 1982. "The Solo Sailor" is an intelligently composed narrative about female stubbornness. At the same time, it is a stylistically brilliant study on letting go.