Empusion

September 1913, Görbersdorf in Lower Silesia. Nestled among the mountains stands the first sanatorium for lung diseases, established half a century ago. Mieczysław Wojnicz, an engineering student from Lviv, hopes that a novel treatment and the crystal-clear air of the spa town will halt, if not cure, his illness. However, the diagnosis offers little reason for hope: tuberculosis. Mieczysław checks into a guesthouse for men. Patients from all over Europe gather there, and much like in Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain," they engage in endless discussions and philosophical debates—often over a glass of liqueur with the enticing name "Schwärmerei." Pressing questions occupy the gentlemen's minds: Will there be war in Europe? What is the best form of government? But there are also seemingly less urgent matters: Do demons exist, for example, or can one tell who authored a text—a woman or a man? The group particularly enjoys discussing the "woman question." The small world of Görbersdorf also provides ample material for conversation: the day after Mieczysław's arrival, the innkeeper's wife committed suicide. It is said that mysterious deaths frequently occur in the surrounding mountains. What Mieczysław does not know is that dark forces have set their sights on him as well.