After the international success of 'Die Mittagsfrau', Julia Franck tells a poignant family story in her new major novel set in Germany during the 1950s and 60s. East Berlin, late 1950s. Siblings Ella and Thomas grow up on their own in the house of the sculptor Käthe. They are each other's love and memory, exploring their coming of age back to back. Their innocence and life itself are at stake. Käthe, a powerful and harsh woman, has chosen communist Germany. She passionately advocates for the creation of a new society, but her commitment comes at a cost. In the shadow of apparent liberalism, coldness and violence take a toll on Ella. While she sometimes escapes into illness and at other times defiantly rebels, Thomas tries to conform, but he can hardly bear the humiliations and flees into oblivion.