The story of a Jewish family living in Hungary over three generations, rising from humble beginnings to positions of wealth and power in the crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire. The patriarch rises to prominence as a judge, but he is torn when his government condones anti-Jewish persecution. His son converts to Christianity in order to advance his career as a champion fencer and Olympic hero, but is caught up in the Holocaust. After surviving war, revolution, loss, and betrayal, the grandson realizes that his ultimate allegiance must be to himself and his heritage.