The novel focuses on the theme of "emotional obsession" and its impact on individuals' lives, exploring the history of philosophy and psychoanalysis through the struggles of its characters. The story imagines a meeting between Josef Breuer, one of the pioneers of psychoanalysis and mentor to Sigmund Freud, and Nietzsche. Lou Salome (a significant historical figure in Nietzsche's life) seeks to persuade Breuer to help Nietzsche with his despair and suicidal thoughts, while Breuer himself suffers from an obsession with his former patient "Bertha Pappenheim" (Anna O).