Learning to read and write is a struggle for this lonely, rebellious girl but once she meets Sophia Molitor, a retired teacher, she senses a deep-seated change in herself. She starts to write down memories from her early childhood and of the black stork symbolising the lover of her missing mother, memories of a journey in grandfather’s old Opel to Byzantium and to the Palace of Storks, and later of her great unrequited love for Paul Arimond. For Nina the atmospheric Urftland is a place redolent of the myths and fairy tales depicted on the coasters at Greek Evros’ bar. Slowly but surely she gets closer to the secret that has so determinedly been kept from her all those years. Norbert Scheuer’s insightful and compelling narrative with his trademark poetic style brings us the story of an isolated young woman searching for her own history, for happiness and for a sense of belonging.

‘Once again Scheuer paints a panorama in time and fills it with history and stories.’ Marcus Clauer, DIE ZEIT