The Turpentine ChamberMara cleans a 17th-century portrait; solvent dissolves yellow varnish to reveal the swallow monogram.
Scene planning /
Storyboard.
One card per scene: a title and what happens. Drag cards between acts, or use the arrows.
Act I
Dinner at Grand-Mère'sMara casually mentions the collector Von Hessel. Sabine's silver dessert fork clatters violently onto china.
The Stolen DossierMara duplicates the wartime acquisition logs before Chief Curator Vance padlocks the archival room.
Act II
The Zurich FreePortInside climate-controlled vaults, an aged appraiser presents the corresponding looted inventory ledger.
Call from the DirectorVance warns Mara that excavating museum secrets leads not to advancement, but to industry blacklisting.
Fog on Lake GenevaWaiting at midnight ferry terminal, Mara realizes an unmarked sedan is tracking her movements.
The Attic ConfessionMidpoint: Sabine admits she didn't inherit the ring; she traded false exit visas for it during occupation.
The Ravensbrück TraceArchival microfilm confirms the rightful owners perished in camps while her family dynasty flourished.
The Subpoena NoticeAll is lost: The international restitution tribunal issues criminal fraud charges against Lind estate.
Act III
The Hearing at The HagueThe Climax: Rejecting attorney's defense of ignorance, Mara presents the pentimento evidence openly.
RestitutionSurrendering the canvas to surviving descendants in Amsterdam. The silver swallow resting on dark wool.
The Empty WallReturning to quiet apartment. The clean, unfaded rectangle on the wallpaper where the frame once hung.