With illustrations made of cut-paper collages, it is Wisniewski's retelling of the Jewish folktale of the Golem with a one-page background at the end.

Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the town rabbi, decides to construct a Golem in an effort to protect his people.

With the help of his student Yakov Sassoon and son-in-law Itzak Kohen, Rabbi Loew constructs a lifeless golem and brings it to life.

Naming the Golem "Joseph", Rabbi Loew instructs him to bring those spreading misinformation over the Blood Lie to justice each night.

When summoned to action, the Golem, steadily growing taller, fights off the attackers, but causes extreme damage and violence in the process.