My view Plot In 1912, the Evidenzbureau , the directorate of military intelligence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , identifies Marchesa Marcella Galdi, an Italian noblewoman who is visiting Vienna , as an Italian spy . To avoid diplomatic confusion, she is kidnapped while dancing with Austro-Hungarian General Staff Captain Michael von Homberg at a ball held at the famous Hotel Sacher in Vienna , and sent back to Italy . Shortly afterwards, a secret plan of an Austrian fortress appears on von Homberg's office desk, and as he himself is unable to explain this, the Evidenzbureau urges him to commit suicide, but he instead manages to escape from Vienna and goes on the run. Three years later, Italy and Austria stand against each other in World War I . Returning to Vienna, von Homberg asks his former superiors for a chance to clear his name, and is given a Royal Italian Army uniform an...