Tuhlaajapoika

In 17th‑century Bern, a widowed mother of two struggles to keep her family afloat after her husband’s death. Helena, famed for her steadfast refusal to remarry, pours all her energy into raising her children according to strict moral standards, yet her eldest son, the headstrong Andreas, resists every attempt at guidance. His reckless spending and mounting debts soon force Helena into a painful decision: to send him away to Lausanne under the watchful eye of a wealthy relative, hoping distance will curb his wayward ways.

While Andreas pursues a freer life abroad, his mother shoulders the burden of his debts and clings to hope through infrequent letters. Back at home, her younger daughter Lisabeth, gentle and well‑liked, becomes the quiet anchor of the household, offering a glimpse of what might have been for the restless boy. The novel paints a vivid portrait of a mother’s love stretched between duty, sacrifice, and the lingering ache of a son who seems destined to drift beyond her reach.