Frederick von Kammacher, about whose life cluster the incidents of the book, sets sail from Bremen in January, 1892. The date calls to mind Hauptmann's own visit to America: and the character suggests something of his creator's. Frederick is one of the "twilight souls" that lurked in the twilight of the late century: souls and days that seem faraway, tho Hauptmann is still their spokesman.(Translated by Adele and Thomas Seltzer.)