The starting point of the book is the stories of cancer patients who, during their psychotherapy, discover themselves; a self that they were unaware of; a self akin to a fairytale hero.

Today, cancer has epidemic characteristics. Societies attempt to isolate it so that the threatening fantasies it generates do not haunt everyday life. Patients avoid referring to what they experience, feel, and think because those "on the outside" often refuse to even hear the word cancer, while avoiding the patient as if they were a source of contagion.

▶ Do early experiences, lifestyle, and each person's history play a role in the development of cancer?

▶ What does a cancer patient experience when they are alone fighting the disease?

▶ What kind of relationships do they weave with their environment and their doctors?

▶ What defense mechanisms do they mobilize to cope with the situation that arises and the death anxiety that overwhelms them?

▶ Why do we become better when we share the thoughts and experiences of the cancer patient?