Anatole Fazanbian lived in Poitiers, France, between the world wars, working in a public bath. He had an amazing talent for capturing details, describing the hands he soaped and secretly observing bathers, noting the colors of their skin, body movements, and the scents they emitted. He meets a Japanese photographer with an old library in the city and pushes his talent to the limit, starting to capture images instead of noting them down. But his obsession with details and insatiable love for beauty soon leads him to a tragic end. Alberto Manguel takes us to the enchanting world of Poitiers, reimagining the life story of Anatole Fazanbian in a half-realistic, half-fantasy adventure telling the tale of an artist obsessed with details.