Jacques Austerlitz is a professor of architectural history and a researcher of places that, especially in the nineteenth century, tend to acquire rebellious visions. Tall and slender, he closely resembles Wittgenstein, with whom he shares an old backpack he always carries on his shoulder. Austerlitz lives in London in an empty apartment, without affection and poor in friendships. Behind his teaching lies a void. Austerlitz simply does not know who he is and at some point embarks on a "search for his own traces." The past slowly emerges and is chilling: all of the author's wisdom seems to be concentrated in this entirely sad journey of self-discovery.