How do we live with history? What must we remember, what are we allowed to forget? Do we need a culture of remembering? How far does our responsibility go? To whom do we owe solidarity, and what do we owe out of solidarity? What is the bad thing about betrayal? What makes our identity? Can we remain Christians if we have lost our belief? What does it mean to be a lawyer? How does the law change, and what is jurisdiction developing into? Taking familiar definitions, everyday experiences and societal and political conflicts as a starting point, Bernhard Schlink explores complex topics which are both timeless and highly topical – in his typically descriptive narrative style.