The author and his wife reluctantly accept their young Viennese friend`s inviation to join him on a week`s holiday in Sicily. There, they decline his offer to chauffeur them round the island, preferring to spend the time quietly, in a way more befitting their age. During their sojourn in Sicily the author reminisces, recalling many events of his, his friend`s and other people`s lives, some of them amusing, others sad and even strange, if not inexplicable.