The young historian Mümtaz has an almost osmotic relationship with the old, decaying Sultan's metropolis: with its buildings, the bazaar full of mysterious things, poetry, and classical music. When he meets Nuran, the magic of the old Ottoman culture comes to life again for one summer in this love. Until one day, the terminally ill Suat, Mümtaz's fellow student and rival, appears and destroys this love. Tanpınar's work is indispensable in contemporary Turkish literature. Not only leftist intellectuals, modernists, and Western-oriented thinkers grant him this status, but also conservatives, traditionalists, and nationalists often refer to Tanpınar's reputation and esteem. His engagement with the old, dignified, contemplative Ottoman culture on one hand and his incorporation of modern tendencies on the other.