When Lilie hears that her friend Hanna’s father is seriously ill, she immediately wants to set off for Germany to visit the two people she chose to be her substitute family many years ago. But in her Paris apartment, she catches a burglar trying to steal an old painting, which had only been of sentimental value to her until that moment. The intruder escapes, and Lilie finds a mysterious letter hidden in the picture frame. She knows how much Hanna’s father loves secrets, so takes the battered picture and letter with her to Xanten.
When a restorer makes some more puzzling discoveries, Hanna’s father persuades them to go on one last journey together. Their search for clues takes the three of them to France and the Antilles where they find out more about the fascinating life of the painter, Georgette Agutte, Lilie’s great-great aunt. About her unusual career as an artist, her unconditional love of the socialist minister Marcel Sembat, her close friendship with Matisse, and about her adventures in Paris during the Belle Époque.
The story of a forgotten painter is entwined with a poignant yet comforting journey of farewell. As amusing, sad and crazy as life itself.
