Germans flee the besieged city of Danzig in 1945. Poles driven out of eastern regions controlled by the Russians move into the homes hastily abandoned by their previous inhabitants. In an area of the city graced with beech trees and a s tately cathedral, the stories of old and new residents intertwine: Hanemann, a German and a former professor of anatomy, who chooses to stay in Danzig after the mysterious death of his lover; the Polish family of the narrator, driven ou t of Warsaw; and a young Carpathian woman who no longer has a country, her cheerful nature concealing deep wounds. Chwin is one of the most acclaimed writers in Europe today. This is his first novel to be translated into English.