Young Törleß is unsettled: his self-perception does not seem to fit the clear concepts and definitions he learns at school. What’s the role he has to fulfill as a young man? On the one hand he is intrigued by exploring a life off the beaten track. On the other hand, he is afraid of being excluded from the community of the strong. The hierarchy among the young men at his boarding school is relentless: the ones who can’t defend themselves are literally outlawed. When his friends start to blackmail and eventually abuse another classmate, Törleß has to decide whether to seek a way to freely develop his identity or to choose the security of obedience to the hegemonic structure. But the cost is high: how much can you split off from your identity in order to fit into a society?