"Metropolis" by Thea von Harbou is a science fiction novel written in 1925. In a technologically advanced city, a gleaming surface world thrives above an exploited class of laborers trapped underground. When Freder, son of the city's founder, falls in love with Maria from below, their romance unfolds against mounting tensions between workers and rulers. As civil war threatens to erupt, the question remains: can these divided worlds find lasting peace, or will the city tear itself apart?