The novel depicts a young woman's life in the midst of Nazi Germany. The main character, Sanna, is preparing a party for her brother's wife, Liska, for the sake of Liska finally seducing Heine, who is a journalist forced to abandon his profession, because there is no longer such a thing as freedom of speech in Germany. Even her brother, Algin, is in despair because he isn't able to write books about anything else besides Hitler and the Nazis.
Sanna describes her life, how she was forced to move to Frankfurt to live with her writer brother, Algin, and his wife. She was previously living with her Aunt and her son Franz. Her aunt spent her life blaming Franz for the death of his younger brother. Seeing how Sanna is making Franz confident and making her lose her grip on him, she reports her to the police for bad-mouthing the Führer and the Nazi Party. This is what makes Sanna leave because she realizes how dangerous it would be to stay with her hatred-filled aunt.
Not long before the party, Sanna received a letter from Franz telling her he will come to see her. He arrives during the party made for Heine. They talk and Franz admits to her that he killed a man who reported him and his friend to the police, making all his effort to build a tobacco store and a home for the two of them, in vain. Sanna is panicking trying to think of a way for them to escape, and thinking of the things they will need.
There is a sudden loud noise, and after she returns to the party she sees Heine lying down dead and Liska spread out over him, while drunken Algin is watching everything. Heine decided to use that exact party to commit suicide. Sanna packs her case, takes Algin's passport for Franz and the two of them get aboard a train to escape.
