The story gives a fictional account of the last few days in the life of exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II after his home at Doorn, Netherlands is taken over by the invading Germans during the opening months of the Second World War.

The story is set in 1940 and concerns Untersturmführer Martin Krebbs, a young and recently commissioned SS officer who has been sent to Huis Doorn to guard the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II as the German Army advances into the Netherlands.

When Akki's true identity is in danger of being exposed, Krebbs must choose between his duty to the Third Reich and his feelings for the woman he loves.

As described in the story a detachment of Wehrmacht troops under the command of an SS officer was sent to guard Wilhelm II, but Krebbs is an imagined character.

The novel also makes reference to an assassination attempt against Hanns Albin Rauter, the head of the SS in the Netherlands, the Le Paradis massacre, and deals with Krebbs' discomfort on hearing Himmler discussing his preferred method for exterminating Jewish children.