gustad N oble is a hard-working bank clerk and devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. First his young daughter falls mysteriously ill, and then his promising son defies Gustad's educational ambitions for him. One day he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like a heroic mission. however, Gustad soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of fraud and betrayal. This unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a world of turbulent change.