The book is one of the top 100 German books of the twentieth century and has been translated into twenty languages. Late in the evening on a deserted street, a car knocks a man to death. The driver is hiding in the pouring rain. Margarita Sartoris finds out about this from the newspapers. It reminds her of a story that happened to her in the past and that dramatically changed her monotonous provincial life. Will a married woman go far to feel alive again?