Ein Himmel voller Sterne: Schicksal aus zweiter Hand / Das Lied der schwarzen Berge / Die Straße ohne Ende

A Sky Full of Stars brings together three of Konsalik's novels: Fate from Second Hand, The Song of the Black Mountains and The Road Without End. All three works are connected by Konsalik's typical preoccupation with love, guilt, social obstacles and the fates of people trying to find happiness in circumstances that are constantly beyond their control.

In the novel Fate from Second Hand, the central character is Frank Gerholdt, a man who rises from poverty to power and wealth, but his life rests on an old guilt: many years ago he kidnapped a child who now lives with him and becomes the center of his existence. Frank develops a deep, almost redeeming attachment to the girl and is ready to sacrifice everything for her happiness. But when he believes that he has atoned for the sin of kidnapping with love and care, the past catches up with him and destroys the illusion of security.

The Song of the Black Mountains is set in the mountains of Montenegro. A young German engineer Ralf Meerholdt falls in love with Rosa, the daughter of poor peasants. Their love is reciprocated, but dangerous: Ralf thereby incurs the hostility of Jossip, a shepherd who wants Rosa for himself. The love story turns into a conflict of passion, pride, poverty and local customs, while the wild mountain landscape heightens the sense of danger.

Die Straße ohne Ende speaks of Konsalik's "eternal theme" of a life path without a clear goal, of people navigating through uncertainty, searching for a way out of the past and hope for a new beginning. As a whole, the book presents three variations on love under the pressure of fate.