Stefan Zweig`s only novel was written while he was in exile from Germany, living in London in 1938. It is an object lesson on the topic of pity, a subtle psychological analysis of its implications that resonates with the political ills of the time. The main action is set in 1914, in the months leading up to World War I. Pushed on by circumstances and caught between the polarities of his life as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army and his acquaintance with a wealthy local family, Anton Hofmiller consents to an engagement with Edith, the crippled daughter who loves him. Immediately regretting his assent, remorseful yet refusing responsibility, he denies the news of his engagement to his comrades. His weakness of character and his selfish and superficial pity for Edith and her father, his fear of making decisions and his inability of facing the consequences, drive the woman to commit suicide and break her father`s heart.
