Writer Don Guillermo Bogarín smiles contentedly as he reflects on the select group he has gathered for this meticulously organized tour of Europe. On September 25, 1893, these nine travelers will set off from the Paris station to explore, for nearly two months, parts of newly unified Italy, some regions of Austria-Hungary, and select places along the new borders of the German Empire. The group includes architect Jacobo Figueroa and his friend, businessman Juan Álvarez-Caballero; the steadfast impressionist painter Ferdinand Mercier; his good friend Jeanne Leroy, a successful theater producer accompanied by her capricious nephew, Henri Collet; Russian Countess Karimova; Mrs. Dupont, the owner of a music publishing house and a supporter of young talent; and Clara Balaguer, a virtuoso violinist and one of her protégés.
While Don Guillermo is aware of his own reasons for leaving Paris temporarily, he has not considered that the others also have their owns. He will soon discover their secrets in the most unfortunate way, as a social column in Le Petit Journal begins to unveil the group’s innermost affairs.
Against the backdrop of a tumultuous fin-de-siècle Europe, María Reig crafts a historical novel that, under the guise of a leisurely trip typical of the upper classes in the late 19th century, addresses the need to confront our fears and take charge of our lives.