This virtuoso debut novel, structured in movements like a classical symphony, follows a group of day-trippers on a tour of places significant to the life of court composer Joseph Haydn. At its centre is widower Edward, travelling with his two young children in the hope of introducing them to music and bringing them closer to the memory of their late mother, a violinist.
As the day progresses, the tourists begin to behave like courtiers -- gossiping, flirting and plotting. A comedy of manias unfolds as Edward struggles to protect himself and his children from the strange behaviour and events around them.