The story is about a middle-aged Jewish doctor named Joseph Breuer who tries to cure Friedrich Nietzsche's terrible migraines. Joseph Breuer is a very famous Jewish doctor who lives in Vienna with his wife Mathilde and their five children. Lou Salome is a very young and extremely beautiful Russian lady and she approaches doctor Breuer during his vacation in Italy. She tells him that a very good friend of hers, a young man named Nietzsche, is in great danger of committing suicide because he is tormented by some strange illness that no other doctor can cure or even diagnose.
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Lou tells doctor Breuer that their meeting must remain a secret because Nietzsche is a very proud man and that their relationship is not on the best terms. Doctor Breuer is intrigued and he tells Lou that he will see the patient in his office after he returns from his trip. Doctor Breuer is especially interested in mental illnesses and Nietzsche's so called "despair" intrigues him and he thinks that he can trick Nietzsche into a new treatment that he is pioneering named "talking treatment".
Doctor Breuer receives his patient in his office in Vienna and they have a very interesting conversation. Unfortunately, Nietzsche can not be persuaded that he needs specialized treatment for his migraines in a clinic located in the city and he totally refuses to open up about his personal problems. He storms out of doctor Breuer's office and he goes to his hotel room before leaving Vienna for good.
Doctor Breuer is called in the middle of the night to help Nietzsche who is in terrible shape in his hotel room. He finds him half dead because he overdosed on his sleeping medication in a desperate attempt to calm his nerves and his headaches. He stays with him the whole night and he goes home only when he is sure that the man is getting better.
During his walk home, doctor Breuer decides on a new course of treatment that involves him as a patient too. He decides to let Nietzsche treat his anxiety and midlife crisis in exchange for his acceptance of the migraine treatment in the Louzon clinic. Nietzsche accepts the new plan and the two men start their daily talking sessions by uncovering their personal secrets, fears and anxieties to one another.
Doctor Breuer is very unhappy with his life and he wants to leave his practice, his wife and family and move to Italy with the woman that he is obsessed with, Bertha Pappenheim. Berta was one of his patients and he tried to cure her mental illness by using the talking treatment. He fell in love with her. He can't get her out of his mind and the fact is driving him crazy. He can't eat or sleep, he has a heaviness in his chest and he thinks that he will go mad. Nietzsche tells him to go for it and encourages doctor Breuer to make his own life choices before it becomes to late.
Doctor Breuer asks his best friend Sigmund Freud to use hypnoses on him so he can visualize his new life away from his family. He visualizes his new life in Italy as a lonely Jewish man with no family or friends and he gets very scared. He decides that he can't leave everything behind and move to Italy.
In the end, Nietzsche opens up and tells doctor Breuer that he was in love with Lou Salome. He cries and he tells the doctor about his empty life and about his wish for a normal life. Doctor Breuer tells him that the whole plot was in fact orchestrated by Lou Salome and Nietzsche is shocked. He realizes that his way of life is the one that he chose when is was a child and that he must remain a lonely philosopher.
Best part of story, including ending:
Doctor Breuer and Nietzsche discuss many interesting things during their encounters. I liked their discussions and I enjoyed learning so much about Nietzsche's philosophy.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was the one where Doctor Breuer watched his whole family gathered around the table and he smiled because he was finally at peace with his decision of remaining home and appreciating his wife and children.
Opinion about the main character:
I liked doctor Breuer's way of thinking and solving problems. I liked the fact that he decided to try everything in order to cure his patient.
