In 1927 an Australian composer traveled to Vienna to study music with Alban Berg. As he made his Faustian bargain with success, he discovered more than his dreams ever imagined. As Robert Musil said. "Red Vienna was the home for genius after all and that probably was the ruin of it all." Alastor Swann became embroiled in the politics of Austro-Fascism and found love, success, and the meaning of life.