In the excerpt from Alfred Kubin's novel "Die andere Seite" (The Other Side), which forms the basis for the film, the protagonist describes the stages of a long journey by train and ship. The text and staging run counter to each other: the journey takes place only in language, not in images. The travelers in the film—a wealthy German couple traveling to Russia—are not getting anywhere. Trains pass by in the window of the train compartment, the book lies open before their eyes.