The baron is busy building ventures which are doomed to fail. He thinks the next one would be better, and mourns the absence of his wife who went to beg for money from rich friends for his failing ventures. To this world of love, anger and disappointment, Erika is born, now a keen girl of 14. This story is about her way to fit in, solve her complicated relationships with her parents, and find love. Ossip Schubin is the pseudonym of Aloisia Kirschner, a popular Austrian novelist. - Summary by Stav Nisser