The events described in the book take place in Latvia in 1939-1941. The main character is Matis, a young man living on the outskirts of Riga. In the conditions of the Second World War, the Holocaust, and political upheavals, he tries to cope with his future, complicated relationships with women, and his life in general.

The novel presents the fateful events for the country and the whole world through the eyes of a young, ordinary Latvian. Matisse finds himself in the funnel of the whirlwind of history, dreaming of just living, working and loving.