This novel describes from varying perspectives the lives of two Austrian brothers. Moritz and Vinzenz, who meet again after a long estrangement. They remember shared and individual experiences, prompted by questions from their sister, photographs in family albums, and encounters with current reality during a visit to their home town. The memories that form most of the novel's substance highlight the fundamental problems of their development and the reasons for their successes and failures in life: sibling rivalries, conflicts between them and their father; inability and unwillingness to identify with their Austrian heritage; missed opportunities, breakdowns in communication, failed relationships with other people; guilt incurred through betrayal of their girlfriend Magda and each other.