Book excerpt: by Alfred Bekker & Silke Bekker The size of this book corresponds to 481 paperback pages. Lübeck 1450: The engagement between Barbara Heusenbrink, the daughter of Riga's amber king Heinrich Heusenbrink, and the rich patrician's son Matthias Isenbrandt is celebrated with a big party. Although Barbara does not love Matthias, she agrees to the marriage of convenience. Shortly afterwards, however, she meets the soldier of fortune Erich von Belden, to whom she feels magically attracted. But they both realize that their love has no chance. And then Barbara is kidnapped to Gdansk by amber smugglers who want to blackmail her father .. .