Interview with György Konrád, Hungarian writer (standing in a room of a canal house on the Zeedijk and looking out over the Oudezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam). Konrád talks about his interpretation of the concept of beauty, the human desire for eternity and the role that historiography plays in this, the reason why he writes, memories from his youth, his war experiences including his flight to Budapest at the age of eleven and his feelings of guilt about it, the persecution of the Jews, the limits of comfort, the realization of how transient life is and his advice not to take life too seriously.

This episode consists of the gathering. Twenty of the portrayed guests come together for an evening-filling exchange of thoughts in the De Zaaijer gallery on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, preceded by a visit to the exhibition 'Of Beauty and Consolation' in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.