while traveling to zurich to accept an award on behalf of wilhelm, and planning to visit him at home the following day at his house in sils maria – a remote settlement in the alps – maria learns of his death. his widow rosa later confides that wilhelm had ended his life and had been terminally ill. during the awards ceremony, maria is approached by klaus diesterweg, a popular theater director. he wants to persuade her to appear on stage in "maloja snake" again, but this time in the role of helena, the older woman.