Altaussee is very popular as a health resort among both domestic and international tourists. Beautifully situated at the foot of the Loser mountain, it can be unsettling for some due to its basin location bordered by the Dead Mountains. The salt mine, the largest salt extraction site in Austria, is not only a prestigious place but also has a notorious past: it was the largest art depot for Nazi looted art from all over Europe. Against this backdrop "at the end of the world," Wolfgang Martin Roth sets his narrative in motion. The first-person narrator, shortly after his retirement, moves into a house in Altaussee with his wife Karin, which they inherited. Karin begins to delve into the history of the place and, after an initial resistance, piques her husband's interest with a remark about the referendum on Austria's annexation.