Ursula's Shadow primarily takes place in modern day Munich, Germany. It is about a young woman named Ursula Eisner who suffers from loneliness due to an inexplicable problem that she experiences. She is a school teacher, well educated, with a pleasant outgoing personality who makes friends easily. She is highly regarded by her fellow teachers and friends. Despite her friendliness and her ability to easily meet male companions, she is unable to cultivate a lasting relationship with any of these men. Although they all initially seem to like her and are pleased to begin dating her, they quickly become disinterested and no longer want to be with her. Most of them simply stop contacting her altogether and those with whom she has an opportunity to speak, provide her with vague reasons for their sudden loss of interest. Perplexed, she finally sees a psychiatrist but he is unable to diagnose a personality flaw in her. Instead, he informs her that her difficulty is most likely the result of some outside influence that he cannot identify. She will have to determine for herself what this might be if she is ever to find the happiness that she seeks.
