1913, Budapest, in the heart of Europe. The young Irisz Leiter arrives in the Hungarian capital with high hopes to work as a milliner at the legendary hat store that belonged to her late parents. She is nonetheless sent away by the new owner, Oszkar Brill. While preparations are underway at the Leiter hat store, to host guests of uttermost importance, a man abruptly comes to Irisz, looking for a certain Kalman Leiter. Refusing to leave the city, the young woman follows Kalamn's tracks, her only link to a lost past. Her quest brings her through the dark streets of Budapest, where only the Leiter hat store shines, into the turmoil of a civilisation on the eve of its downfall.
