Empusion

September 1913, Görbersdorf in Lower Silesia. Nestled among the mountains stands the first sanatorium for lung diseases, established half a century ago. Mieczyslaw Wojnicz, an engineering student from Lviv, hopes that a novel treatment and the crystal-clear air of the resort will halt, if not cure, his illness. However, the diagnosis offers little cause for hope: tuberculosis. Mieczyslaw is staying at a guesthouse for men. Sick individuals from all over Europe gather there, and like in Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain," they engage in endless discussions and philosophical debates—often over a glass of liqueur with the evocative 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 instance, or can one tell from a text whether it was written by a woman or a man? The group particularly enjoys discussing the "woman question." Moreover, the small world of Görbersdorf provides ample material for conversation: The day after Mieczyslaw's arrival, the innkeeper's wife committed suicide. It is said that mysterious deaths frequently occur in the surrounding mountains. What Mieczyslaw does not know is that dark forces have set their sights on him as well.