Spring, 1938. Mathias Kraemer and Johannes Namal are members of Freud's Circle - a group of the famed psychiatrist's friends and acquaintances who once gathered regularly. But with Hitler's annexation of Austria, Nazi edicts become stricter and more punitive. Now Hitler has demanded that "hidden Jews" be tracked down, and Freud's Circle has been targeted. Mathias and Johannes's only option appears to be hiding in plain sight, using assumed names and identities to evade detection. Despite betrayal and imprisonment, hope remains, and with it the determination to keep those they love alive, and Mathias and Johannes discover that their writing might be their salvation.