Judith, a beautiful and intelligent woman of noble birth, is given in wedlock to the wealthy and much older Manasses, but she is not in love with him and their union remains childless. When he dies, she chooses to become a recluse, thereby doing her penance.

Meanwhile the Syrians invade Israel. The high-priest calls upon Judith to put her beauty to the service of the fatherland: He orders her to employ her feminine charms in order to kill the enemy general, Holofernes, and bring his head to Jerusalem. So Judith together with her handmaiden set out for the enemy's camp. The Holofernes she encounters there turns out not to be a sadistic monster, but quite the contrary: a sensitive, thoughtful, and charasmatic leader. Despairingly, Judith realises that for the first time in her life, a man is her equal – yet the task set by the high priest must be fulfilled.

About the author:

Miro Gavran (born 1961), dramatist and novelist, is considered one of the most renowned Croatian writers of his generation. His works have been translated into seventeen languages. He is the recipient of many awards, among them the price of "Best Central European Writer of 1999". Seifert Verlag has previously published the German version of his novel, The Angel of Omorina. Miro Gavran lives in Zagreb.