A heartbreaking tale of a woman's fate during the witch hunts in Freiburg in the 16th century: The witch craze sweeps across Germany. When the flames first rise over a witch in the university town on the edge of the Black Forest, Catharina is born. A bad omen? The inquisitive girl grows into a self-assured young woman who struggles against dependence on men throughout her life. In the end, she risks losing everything because of this - but one thing remains: an endless love, before which even death loses its terror. An absolutely successful debut novel by Astrid Fritz. Sensitive, gripping, and sorrowful until the last page.