"Disorder and Early Sorrow" is a novella that examines the life of Professor Cornelius's family during one day in post-World War I Germany. The scene opens with a discussion between the members of the family and how they interact. Members of the family are identified by their generation: Ingrid and Bert, both teenagers, are "the big folk"; Professor Cornelius and his wife are "the old folk"; Ellie and Snapper, the youngest of the Professor's children, are "the little folk"; and Professor Cornelius's parents, who are only mentioned and have no part in the action of the story, are referred to as "'the ancients." Other members of the household include the servants, Xaver, the Nurse, and the Hinterhofer sisters. Several friends of Ingrid and Bert also appear in the story at the party.

The setting for the tale is Munich in the mid-1920s. It takes place...