First published in Quebec in 1981, Beauchemin's highly acclaimed comic masterpiece of storytelling follows in the tradition of the great novels of the 19th century. When Florent Boissonneault comes to the aid of an accident victim, his life changes forever. One onlooker, the powerful and sinister Egon Ratablavasky, comes to haunt his ambitions and dreams, lurking behind his every opportunity, success, and failure. Finally, obsessed by a need to free himself, Florent discovers how to fight back.