Inspector Montalbano is at a critical juncture in his life. His absolute need for solitude, as the years pass and he fails to decide to "settle down" like everyone else, creates friction and conflicts with his loved ones.
At the same time, and as usual, he has to deal with a challenging case of missing persons who, "professionally," lured dozens of small investors and "appropriated" their deposits - money that we usually refer to as "the fruits of a lifetime." However, this story does not seem "police-related."
Step by step, with patience and much thought, Montalbano realizes that this case does not hide what it suggests at first glance - that is, mystery. It is about the tragedy of devotion. Of absolute faith in something or someone, which leads to obsession, to a dead end, to drama. For the stubborn refusal of loss even though everything points in favor of accepting it.
[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]
