Harhateillä

In the elegant study of a well‑to‑do civil servant, his son Fritz Wessel—a celebrated portrait painter famed for his lively children’s pictures—sips coffee and puffs on a cigar, blissfully unaware that his father’s quiet contemplation hides a storm. When the elder Wessel finally breaks his silence, he hints at a troubling incident that could upend Fritz’s comfortable world, pressing his son to confront a past he thought he’d left behind. The conversation is charged with a mix of paternal worry, veiled accusations, and a puzzling reference to a broken clock and a mysterious “Zastewkuje” that suggests hidden dangers lurking just beyond the canvas.

As Fritz tries to maintain his easygoing demeanor, the narrative pulls the listener into the cramped corridors of a household where reputation, art, and family secrets collide. The opening sets a tone of quiet tension, promising a tale of intrigue that will test the bonds between father and son while revealing the darker undercurrents of a seemingly genteel society.