Erck Dessauer, the hero and narrator of this novel, is young, talented and ready to become a great writer. That is not easy in Berlin in the 2000s, because tight-knit cliques divide power among themselves, and envy is another word for happiness.

When he signs a contract with the best publisher in the country, he is almost there. If only it weren't for this Hans Ulrich Barsilay with his extravagant appearance, his beautiful ex-girlfriends, his perfect prose and his unscrupulousness. The problem: he works with the same publisher. And there are many indications that he is trying to halt Erck's development. So Erck must stop him. And this is when he comes up with a shocking intrigue...