Tarek, a biographer who doesn't know his own story, gets a call from Helga of the former East Germany. She now lives in Vienna and wants him to write her life story. Finding Tarek has put Helga's life on a new path. Meanwhile, Tarek is lost in his own problems. He is back in Vienna to care for his sick father and see his self-absorbed mother's new art exhibit. He has an angry and pregnant Danish girlfriend at home in Ireland but is rekindling a relationship from his childhood in Vienna. How can he balance it all with this new professional commitment? And just who is this Helga, anyway? Why did she choose him to write her story? Is that all she really wants from him? The Lost Son is a thriller that alternates between Tarek, who rarely takes anything seriously but everything for granted, and Helga, who has lost everyone she's ever loved as a result of the same youthful indulgence in taking chances. Historical events are beyond any single person's control, but all it takes is one decision made by a person in power to ruin two families. Will Tarek be able to reconcile everything he learns and find himself?