Liberto is an unusual child. He suffers from a rare allergy that has affected him from birth and no one in the world knows about it: his body is covered with yellow bubbles, which are a reaction to the dominant force in our society—advertising.
Ironically enough, he is the heir to an established and well-known advertising agency, but he will only be able to run it when he “knows what is to be known with all his body, soul, and spirit.”
Deprived of freedom and contact with the world, he is a prisoner in his own home, until second lieutenant Gaetano Ponza, a very unconventional teacher, opens the doors to a cosmos where curiosity prevails. Liberto thus encounters books, which are repositories of ancient secrets and masters of revolt. Amidst timeless myths and universal enigmas, he will find the strength to battle the dragon: the heavy specter of advertising.
With delicate and poetic prose, Fausto Romano crafts a modern fairy tale for all ages, a universal metaphor that speaks to the heart of our day. It is a story that mocks the vacuity of consumerism while celebrating the ageless charm of books and knowledge, and providing a profound reflection on freedom and the essence of being human.