The book tells the story of the author's early childhood and adolescence, focusing on his relationship with his older brother and younger sister.
His brother develops severe and intractable epilepsy, causing the family to seek a variety of solutions from alternative medicine, most dramatically by moving to a commune based on macrobiotic principles.
As the epileptic brother loses control of his own life, the artist develops solitary obsessions with cartoons, mythology and war.
The book's graphic style becomes increasingly elaborate as the children's fantasy life takes over, with their dreams and fears (including epilepsy itself) appearing as living creatures.
"[4] The fourth volume won the 2000 Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario.