I’m planning to write a historical novel about the Fleischls, an ennobled Jewish family, which lived in Vienna in the 19th century. Carl Fleischl was president of the Horse Tramway of Vienna. Ida Fleischl established a literary salon frequented by many prominent contemporaries. The Fleischls had four sons, two of which were physicians. One of them was a renowned physiologist and it was through him that many famous physicians, among them Billroth, Brücke, Breuer and Freud became friends of the family.

Ida Fleischl, the poetess Betty Paoli and the writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach were close friends who lived with the Fleischls. The very special friendship between the three women is to take a central role in the novel.