Eleonora, of de farce van de tragedie

She travels to Naples to work on a book about the rebellious Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel, court poet and private librarian to the Queen of Naples. This Eleonora freed herself from a violent marriage and, inspired by the French Revolution, developed into a Femme Savante and leader of the revolution that in 1799 led to the short-lived Neapolitan Republic. But five months later it was crushed by the King of Naples, and Pimentel was hanged in the market square to the loud cheers of the crowd.

The life of Eleonora de Fonseca Pimentel serves as a mirror for the historian. She admires this woman's courage and wants to get as close as possible to her subject. She studies day and night and holds intense conversations with her assistant, whose youthful energy and curiosity do not leave her unmoved. She works with such passion that in feverish dreams, wandering through her apartment at night, she believes she truly is Eleonora.

The confrontation with this figure forces her to look at her own life and find the courage to chart a different course. This puts her relationship with her husband under pressure. This husband, whom we have come to know as a man who encourages his wife in her quest, suddenly reveals himself as a petty jealous monarch afraid of losing his kingdom. Anna must, just like the rebellious Eleonora, fight for her life.