n 1989, Lara, 16, is expelled from an English boarding school for injuring a classmate. 　　Her estranged father, Dr. Hill, an art historian, must now take her along on a research expedition across the Iron Curtain. 　　Their destination is the Castle von Karnstein: Once an opulent 19th century mountain spa, the castle is now nearly a ruin, set for demolition by the towns despotic Gene.