The hotel Waldhaus in the Swiss mountain village of Waltenberg is central to the action of this epic novel, which takes place in Europe from World War I to the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is a riveting novel of espionage and a major work of literature. "Here is a French epic that drives headlong through the drama and horror of Europe in the past century – but does so on the chassis of a finely-engineered spy novel." - London Independent. A spy novel combined with a book of ideas, this book covers the history of Europe from the First World War to 1991.