Northern Lights

Josef Erdman arrives in Maribor, Slovenia, on the eve of World War II. Though claiming to be a salesman, it soon becomes apparent that Josef has no purpose in the town, and that a newcomer can expect nothing but distrust from the townspeople. Maribor is full of tensions that are played out in pub brawls and in the rivalry between the Slovenes and Germans at the top of the social hierarchy. Against this backdrop of ethnic hatred and personal descent, Josef witnesses the fiery shimmer of the aurora borealis and imagines the town has been set aflame -- an omen of the coming of war.