The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Erpenbeck, Jenny. Kairos. New Directions, 2023.

Jenny Erpenbeck's novel Kairos is set in 1980s East Germany. Detailing the affair between main characters Katharina and Hans, this topical romantic plot line acts as an extended metaphor for Germany's complex political past. Written from the third person point of view and in the present tense, the novel toys with conventional notions of structure and form. For the sake of clarity, the following summary abides by a linear and streamlined mode of explanation.

When Katharina is 19 years old, she meets a man named Hans on the 57 bus. Although Hans is married and is 34 years Katharina's senior, the two feel connected to one another right away. The first night that they spend together, they have sex at Hans's house while his wife Ingrid and son Ludwig are out of town.

Hans arranges a meeting with Katharina to establish ground rules for their relationship. He wants her to know that he has no intention of abandoning his family. Therefore, they can continue their affair for as long as Katharina pleases. While he is only granting her superficial control, Katharina thinks Hans is handing her all of the power.

Three weeks into their relationship, Katharina takes a trip to Cologne to see her grandmother Emmi. This is the first time that she has traveled by herself across the border. Throughout her time in Cologne, a city in West Germany, Katharina is struck by the many cultural differences.

On her way back to Berlin, Katharina decides to reroute her trip and pay Hans a surprise visit at the Baltic where he is vacationing with his family. After his wife and son get into the water, Katharina approaches Hans. The two spend the next days in secret at the nude beach.

Back in Berlin, Katharina and Hans continue their secret relationship. Katharina's family and friends worry about her, but agree to let her use their apartments to see Hans.

Katharina is accepted for a theater internship in Frankfurt. Although sad to leave Hans, she relocates to this city. Throughout her time in Frankfurt, Katharina feels increasingly confused. She is still seeing Hans, but feels conflicted by her competing versions of life and self. When she is in Frankfurt, working, and spending time with her friend Vadim, she is one person. When she is back in Berlin with Hans, she is another person.

Hans discovers that Katharina had an affair with Vadim. Desperate to save the relationship, Katharina gives up her life in Frankfurt and returns to Berlin. Over the course of the following months, Hans does everything in his power to punish Katharina for her betrayal. He particularly abuses her by making tape recordings of his voice and forcing her to listen to them. The recordings are filled with accusations and insults. Over time, listening to the tapes brainwashes Katharina.

Meanwhile, Germany is undergoing political changes. In 1989, the Berlin Wall falls. Although Katharina is relieved like many of her fellow citizens, the absence of the Wall also unsettles her. East Berlin has been her home for as long as she can remember. Without the Wall, she feels disoriented and unmoored. The same soon proves true in the context of her relationship with Hans. When she realizes they must part ways for good, Katharina experiences bittersweet emotions. Like the Wall, Hans has been a fixture in her life. She therefore has learned to define her identity by their relationship.

Years after the end of the affair, Katharina learns that Hans has died. Not long later, two boxes of Hans's papers appear at Katharina's house. Going through Hans's old letters and mementos compels Katharina into a complex confrontation with her personal and political past.