Peter is a twelve-year-old orphan boy growing up in an institution for abandoned or orphaned children. Discipline, strictness, obedience, and toughness are the rules followed by Biel, the director, a harsh man who tyrannizes the children. Peter, along with Katarina and August, decides that they must react to this system that predetermines a dark future for them. The instinct for self-preservation and curiosity drive the three children to investigate, learn, and bring change to their lives by any means. And they succeed.

This great book is a social protest against control over the soul and mind. At the same time, it masterfully conveys a powerful and optimistic message: Everything depends on us; we are the only ones who can decide for ourselves and our future, as long as we are able to perceive it.