A young Austrian baron arrives at a luxurious spa hotel for a week's vacation. There, he meets a lady he intends to seduce. To achieve his goal, he decides to use his sickly twelve-year-old son as an intermediary. An intense triangular relationship then begins, awakening a conscience in the young boy that will forever change his relationship with his mother. A masterful tale set against the backdrop of morality, human weaknesses, and the transition from childhood to adolescence.