Franz Kafka has a tense relationship with his domineering father. He also has intriguing affairs with Bauer, Jesenská and Diamant and a meaningful camaraderie with Max Brod, a recognized author full of energy and ideas. Kafka is one of the most important writers of the 20th century - his writings are strange and dark, his personality complicated, his influence undiminished. But without his best friend's betrayal of trust, the world would never have known Kafka.