No longer a very young man, Philipp Wilhelm Sack, is discharged from Frederick the Great's army after battling and getting wounded fighting Napoleon. Before starting a new career in the government, he decides to take a journey in the part of Germany he loves, meeting up with relatives on the way. He falls in love and gets involved in religious differences, putting off marrying his sweetheart due to his sense of honor.

A tale of joy and sometimes despair as we gather insights into the Prussia of the late 18th and early 19th century. Politics, romance and poetry accompany us on Philipps journey. Based on a true story this wonderful novel was lost for ninety years and has now been re-discovered and re-interpreted into English.