Siegfried et le Limousin by Jean Giraudoux. Short summary

5 seconds

Frenchman Jean, reading German newspapers, sees phrases from the story of his friend Forestier, missing in action during the war, with the initials «Z.F.K.» Jean decides to look into it and goes to Germany.

1 minute

The story is narrated on behalf of the Frenchman Jean. In January 1922, he reads German newspapers, and suddenly sees an article signed with the initials «Z. Z. F. K.». The article repeats verbatim phrases from the story of his friend Forestier, who disappeared during the war.

Jean decides to explain the mystery. He is helped by Count von Celten, who soon reports from Munich that Z. F. K. may be the missing Forestier. At the very beginning of the war, a naked soldier who had lost his memory was found on the battlefield. He was treated for a long time, taught anew to drink and eat, as well as — to speak German. He received the name Siegfried von Kleist.

Jean goes to Germany. The man he sees has all the signs of a German, and yet Jean recognizes him as his friend Forestier. Jean enters Siegfried’s house in the guise of a French teacher. There he meets Siegfried’s nurse, Eva von Schwangofer, who makes a nationalist out of him. But eventually tumultuous events lead to Siegfried learning that he is not German. Jean takes him home to France.