Inspired by the fate of the Brno Villa Tugendhat, the story mirrors the tragic fate of the Czech nation during the 20th century in the lives of the owners of the house.
Fiancés Viktor and Liesel want to enter married life in style and modernity - in a house that will carry their progressive outlook on life in its foundation. An upper-class Judeo-Christian couple has the means for timeless elegance and in 1929 hires architect Reiner von Abt, whose minimalist vision of combining indoor and outdoor space by maximizing the use of glass space excites them. But is a house open to the eyes of strangers suitable for people living their lives full of small and bigger secrets? The private pleasures and parties of the First Republic elite in this architectural gem are soon interrupted by the Nazis and the couple must leave the villa and the country. The unusual building then passes from one hand to another - after the Nazis, it is taken over by the communists, who are particularly irritated by its opulent otherness.
The novel was nominated for the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2009.
The film adaptation of the story, made by director Julius Ševčík (Masaryk, Normal, Restart) with internationally renowned actors such as Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones), Claes Bang (Square, The Girl in the Spider's Web) or Hanna Alström (Kingsman 1a 2), will enter Czech cinemas on 14 March 2019.