Winter 1959, Jerusalem. Eternal student Shmuel Ash, a good-natured and romantic hulk, does not know what he wants from life. One day, on a notice board, he sees a mysterious advertisement about a lucrative job for a humanities student. Intrigued, Shmuel goes to the old Jerusalem neighborhood. In a dilapidated and ancient house, like the city itself, the intellectual Gershom Wald lives, he needs a person with whom he can have conversations and debates. In exchange, Shmuel is offered shelter, board and a modest allowance. The house is also home to Atalia, a mysterious beauty who amazes with her icy detachment. Old man Vald and Atalia are connected by a past that contains enough secrets. Shmuel talks for hours with the old man, becomes shy in front of the mysterious Atalia, and becomes increasingly fascinated by the topic of Judas’ betrayal, which is the subject of philosophical debates every now and then. He is haunted by the mysteries associated with this woman, and, plunging deeper into an almost detective investigation, he learns the incredible and terrible story of Atalia and Vald. The new novel by the Israeli classic Amos Oz is about betrayal and its essence, about the dark side of Jewish-Christian relations that have left their mark on modern Arab-Jewish history. The gentle, softly ironic prose of Amos Oz is full of internal tension, it immerses you in the mysterious atmosphere of the long-vanished old Jerusalem and in the mysterious history of Judah.