A small novel about the big questions of life.
It is pure coincidence that Chancellor Ernst Meister makes the unexpected acquaintance of ten-year-old Emma. Meister gets lost in the chancellery, and after various wrong turns, he suddenly finds himself outside. There, he sees a girl playing marbles; the two of them play a round. At this point, the story could end, but when Meister is rushed to the hospital with suspected heart failure, one of the well-wishes he receives contains a card with the words "Friday 5" written in childish handwriting, along with a marble taped to it.
From then on, every Friday at five, the Chancellor makes sure to set aside a few minutes to play marbles with the girl – and in doing so, learns the most important lessons about the truly significant things in life. Because when you work in the chancellery, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. But when you see the world through a child’s eyes, you may rediscover those things.
When Emma eventually stops showing up for their meetings, Meister realizes just how important his encounters with his little friend have become. And having now learned to distinguish the important from the unimportant, he sets off to find her.
