The novella The Frankish Watchmaker tells the story of Rudolf Stadler, a native of Zurich who becomes the palace timekeeper of the Persian shah. Thanks to his position and his friendship with the shah, Stadler has status, wealth, and a beautiful wife–everything a European man of the 17th century would want. But then, after he insults a powerful Islamic cleric, he loses everything. The novella is based on the life story of the real Rudolf Stadler.