The novel unfolds through the letters of Christine, a young woman studying music in pre-war Germany, whose life is reconstructed after her sudden death from pneumonia. The story opens with her mother rereading these letters, allowing Christine’s voice to emerge with clarity and tenderness. Writing from Berlin, Christine expresses her passion for music, her devotion to her mother, and her sense of isolation as an Englishwoman abroad. Throughout the novel, personal longing and artistic aspiration are set against the quiet tension of a Europe standing on the edge of war.
