In rural Portugal under the Salazar dictatorship, young Otília is raised by her grandfather after her parents are taken by the political police. To shield her from the harsh truth, her grandfather invents enchanting stories to explain their absence, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Afonso Cruz's novel masterfully explores the impact of political oppression on a family, delving into themes of memory, storytelling as a means of survival, and the enduring power of love and imagination in the face of historical trauma and profound grief.