First barns burn, then an old house burns. A fire brigade goes around. A corpse burned beyond recognition is found in the old house. Intention or amazing coincidence? Franzi Heilmayr and Martin Merana believe in coincidence - until the evidence suddenly points in a completely different direction. And deadly danger still emanates from there.

A fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. On Christmas Eve 1877, Elisabeth, once idolized for her beauty, turns 40 and is officially deemed an old woman; she starts trying to maintain her public image.