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In 1989, a university student in Berlin discovers a corpse on a park bench, setting the stage for a novel that explores the lives of various Europeans—Hungarians, Jews, Germans, Gypsies—during the tumultuous mid-twentieth century. Central to the narrative are three men: Hans von Wolkenstein, whose German mother is tied to fascist-Nazi secrets; Ágost Lippay Lehr, whose father has navigated Hungary's shifting political landscapes; and András Rott, who harbors a mysterious past of his own. The story weaves through time, starting in 1939 as Europe stands on the brink of war, and delves into the harrowing events of 1944–45, when Budapest was besieged and the Final Solution wreaked havoc on Hungary's Jewish population, culminating in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The characters' journeys take them from Berlin to Moscow, Switzerland to Holland, and across Hungary, revealing the stark contrasts in their social and political circumstances, as well as their individual desires. Yet, through Péter Nádas's intricate narrative, striking parallels emerge that connect their experiences across time and geography. This monumental work, eighteen years in the making and a sensation in Hungary, is now available to a broader audience, solidifying its place as the author's greatest achievement.