The narration is conducted on behalf of the narrator, whose name is Jean. In January 1922, he looked through German newspapers to find at least one good word about France, and suddenly stumbled upon an article signed by the initials “Z. F.K. ”, where phrases from the story of his friend Forestier, who went missing during the war, are almost literally repeated. To Jean's amazement, in subsequent opuses, the arrogant plagiarist managed to borrow some of Forestier’s unpublished heritage.
The riddle seems unsolvable, but here fate itself sends Jean von Zellten to Jean. Once upon a time, Jean loved Zelten as much as Germany. Now this country does not exist for him, but sometimes he feels the bitterness of loss. At one time, Celten came up with a funny game, offering to share the disputed territories in the highest moments of friendship and love. As a result, Celten presented his whole Alsace to his friend, but Jean held steady and tore off only one insignificant district from France at that moment when Celten was especially like a naive, good-natured German. At the meeting, Celten admits that he fought for four years in order to return his gift. A deep scar is visible on his hand - before Jean could not see the healed trace of the French bullet. Celten remained alive - perhaps some grain of love for Germany is still able to be reborn.
After listening to Jean's story about the mysterious plagiarist, Zedten promises to find out everything and soon reports from Munich that Z.F.K. is probably none other than Forestier. At the very beginning of the war, a naked soldier in feverish delirium was picked up on the battlefield - he had to be re-taught to eat, drink and speak German. He was given the name Siegfried von Kleist in honor of the greatest hero of Germany and the most soulful of her poets.
Jean leaves for Bavaria with a fake Canadian passport. When he gets off the train, it becomes hard on his heart - here, even from the wind and the sun, it is full of Germany. In this country, the apostles have frowned, and the Virgin has knotted hands and saggy breasts. In the eyes ripples from artificial empty advertising. Villa “Siegfried” is just as monstrous and unnatural - its decrepitude is hidden by whitewashing. The Germans reproach the French for their addiction to blush, and they themselves make up their buildings. The person who went into the dark garden has all the undeniable signs of a German resident - glasses in a fake tortoise-rimmed frame, a golden tooth, a pointed beard. But Jean immediately recognizes Forestier - what a sad transformation!
Jean settles in a room whose windows overlook the villa. Before meeting with a friend, he takes a tram to Munich and wanders around the city with a sense of superiority, as befits a winner. He used to be his man here, but he cannot return the past: only Ida Eulert remained from her former happy days - at one time Jean loved her three sisters. Ida brings news: everyone here is afraid of a conspiracy led by Celten. Jean believes that there is nothing to fear: Celten always timed important events to June 2, his birthday, and a plan for this year has already been drawn up - Celten decided to heal his teeth and start a book about East and West.
An old acquaintance, Prince Henry, introduces Siegfried Jean into the house. The heir to the Saxe-Altdorf throne was born on the same day as the German emperor and studied with him: the boys always quarreled in English classes and put up in French lessons. The prince far surpasses the nobility of his miserable cousin - just compare their wives and children. The fiery and courageous offspring of Prince Henry made up a whole fleet of air - now they are all killed or mutilated.
Jean watches from the windows how Siegfried dresses: Forestier always loved white linen, and now he wears a purple sweatshirt and pink pants - the same were under the uniforms of wounded Prussians. This cannot be taken out: Forestier needs to be abducted from the keepers of the Rhine gold - this alloy of German naivety, splendor and meekness. Ida brings a circular to the German headquarters about the training of soldiers who have lost their memory: they were supposed to put a full-breasted blonde with rosy cheeks as a nurse - an ideal of German beauty. A woman comes out of the Forestier house, matching all the parameters of the circular. She has a bunch of roses in her hands, and Forestier looks after her like a sleepwalker.
On the recommendation of Prince Heinrich, Jean penetrates Siegfried as a teacher of French. At home, he notices the same depressing changes as in clothes: Earlier, Forestier's apartment was filled with delightful trinkets, and now heavy sentences of German sages are hung everywhere. The lesson begins with the simplest phrases, and in parting Siegfried asks to send him samples of French works. The first of them, Jean gives the name "Solignac" and describes in detail the chapel, cathedral, cemetery, stream, the gentle rustle of Limousin poplars - the province where both friends were born.
Zelten introduces Jean to the nurse Kleist. However, fifteen years ago, Jean already saw Eve von Schwangofer in the house of her father - a tearful novelist, a favorite of German housewives. And Celten tells Eve about his first meeting with Jean: until he was eighteen, he suffered from bone tuberculosis, grew up among old men and represented all people decrepit, but at the Munich carnival he suddenly had an eighteen-year-old face with snow-white teeth and sparkling eyes - since then this the Frenchman became for him the embodiment of youth and the joy of life.
After the second lesson, Jean had a dream that he had turned into a German, and Kleist became a Frenchman: darkness and heaviness are gathering around Jean-German, while the Frenchman Kleist acquires an airy lightness in front of his eyes. Then Eve comes to Jean, who made the necessary searches: in vain Jean covered himself with a Canadian passport - in fact, he is a native of Limousin. Eve demands to leave Kleist alone: she will not allow him to return to the hated France. In response, Jean says that he does not have malice for despicable Germany: the archangels, having granted France victory, robbed her of her right to hate. Let German girls pray for sons who would take revenge on France, but French students studying German are called to a great mission - to educate the vanquished.
Genevieve Prat, former lover of Forestier, arrives in Munich. The three of them go to Berlin, where Eve overtakes them. The struggle for Kleist continues: Eve tries to arouse hatred of the French with a tendentious selection of newspaper clippings, and Jean in his next essay reminds Druha of the greatest poet of the Limousine Bertrand de Born. At the Goethe celebrations, Jean recalls the January anniversary of Moliere: if the former resemble a dreary spiritualistic seance, the latter was a sparkling celebration of life. The abomination of Berlin disgusts Kleist, and the whole company moves to Sassnitz - this is where the hospital where the Germans were made from Forestier is located. Jean watches Eva and Genevieve: the monumental German beauty cannot stand any comparison with the graceful and natural Frenchwoman. Genevieve has the gift of genuine compassion - she heals human sorrows with her one presence. Kleist rushes between two women, not understanding his longing. In fact, he must choose a country.
A serene vacation is interrupted by turbulent events: a revolution took place in Munich, and Count von Zelten declared himself a dictator. Having rented a car, the company travels to Bavaria: they are allowed to pass freely, because citizen Z. F. K. received an invitation to enter the new government. In Munich, it turns out that Celten seized power on his birthday. By misunderstanding, Jean goes to jail: he is released four days later, when Tselten renounces the throne. The former dictator announces publicly that Kleist is not German at all. Shocked Siegfried takes refuge in the Schwangofer villa. Messages from different countries are read to him, and he is trying to guess his unknown homeland. The last blow for him is the death of the fragile Genevieve, who sacrificed health and life in order to open his eyes. At night, Jean and Siegfried board the train. Having forgotten a heavy dream, Kleist mutters something in German, but Jean answers him only in French. Time runs fast - now native France wakes up outside the windows. Now Jean will slap a friend on the shoulder and show him a photograph of thirty years ago, signed by his real name.
