The Capuchin Crypt is the novel about the downfall of Austria as an independent state. The narrative begins in April 1913. The protagonist of the novel is, as in "Radetzky March," a young Trotta. Franz Ferdinand is born into the end of the familiar order, and the new one leaves him disoriented. His wife Elisabeth, the mother of his son, leaves him to become the lover of an artist and women's rights activist, ultimately wanting to pursue a career as an actress in Hollywood. When Franz Ferdinand's mother dies, the last bond to his own history is severed. Trotta finds himself alone and believes he can find his last refuge in the Capuchin Crypt, where the old world is preserved and buried. The radio play, which closely follows the novel, is a co-production of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation with NDR and features numerous prominent speakers.