Is Klaus Hbel a true seeker after enlightenment, or is he merely using his spiritual aspirations to provide an excuse for a succession of love affairs with teenage girls? Klaus himself is not sure of the answer until a succession of terrible events forces the truth upon him, as his young wife, displaced by an even younger woman, sets out on a course that will change the lives of many people and lead to assault, rape, incest and death.

There are elements of redemption: for Klaus, the beginning of self-knowledge and the wish to atone; and for those around him, the mending of broken lives, the transformation of evil into good, and the willingness to crack a joke whenever the opportunity arises.