Summary

In "Prologue," Hans repeatedly asks Katharina if she will come to his funeral. “Four months later, she’s in Pittsburgh when she gets news of his death” on her birthday (5). She is still away on the day of his funeral (5). She listens to classical music in his memory. When she returns home to Berlin, she asks her friend about the ceremony. “Six months later,” her husband informs her that someone dropped off “two large cardboard boxes” for her (6). Katharina leaves them unopened for months. Thinking of Kairos, “the god of fortunate moments,” she wonders if fortune brought them together when she was 19 (6).

Katharina has kept a similar catalog of letters, souvenirs, and journals from their time together. Going through the boxes, she drifts into memory.

In "Box I," Chapter 1, in July of 1986, Katharina and Hans happen to leave their homes...