After 30 years of marriage, Marlene suddenly finds herself a widow. Lonely and without prospects, she sits in her big empty house and rejects all offers of support, ignoring her friend’s calls and planning her suicide instead. Until one day an unexpected visitor turns up on her doorstep – and he’s not the only one who really messes up her plans. With subtle humor and touching depth, Susann Pásztor tells a wonderful story about a woman who has to reinvent herself and her life.
After Rolf dies, Marlene drags herself through the days as a surviving spouse with the help of tranquilizers. She sees her own imminent demise as the only way out. It’s only when her former pupil, the plumber Jack, shows up and unceremoniously moves in with her that her life begin to change. Jack turns out to be not only a fantastic cook but also an empathetic and attentive roommate. But even he can’t quite understand why Marlene isn’t grieving so much as she is angry at her dead husband. As a tender love affair develops between Jack and Marlene’s general practitioner, Ida, a letter from Rolf turns up at Marlene’s friend Wally’s home in Vienna, which may hold the answer to all the unanswered questions. Together with Jack and Ida, Marlene embarks on a journey that doesn’t turn out as expected at all.
