Sheldon odm\u00edtne doprovodit Rheu a Larse na proch\u00e1zku, a kdy\u017e se ocitne s\u00e1m doma, p\u0159ed jeho u\u0161ima (nikoliv o\u010dima) je sp\u00e1ch\u00e1na vra\u017eda. Ve snaze ochr\u00e1nit syna zavra\u017ed\u011bn\u00e9 sousedky (a tak\u00e9 sebe jako kl\u00ed\u010dov\u00e9ho sv\u011bdka) vyd\u00e1 se s\u00a0n\u00edm na \u00fat\u011bk nezn\u00e1mou krajinou Norska. \u0160estilet\u00e9ho srbsko-kosovsk\u00e9ho chlapce pojmenuje Paul, jeho prav\u00e9 jm\u00e9no nezn\u00e1. Nesourod\u00e1 dvojice zam\u00ed\u0159\u00ed do vzd\u00e1len\u00e9ho rodinn\u00e9ho srubu v les\u00edch, kter\u00fd by jim m\u011bl poskytnout bezpe\u010dn\u00fd \u00fakryt p\u0159ed balk\u00e1nsk\u00fdm gangem i norskou polici\u00ed. Sheldon nem\u00e1 tu\u0161en\u00ed, \u017ee mezit\u00edm je v\u00a0ohro\u017een\u00ed \u017eivota i Rhea se sv\u00fdm chot\u011bm.<\/p>\n
Na \u00fat\u011bku po sou\u0161i i po vod\u011b si mus\u00ed Sheldon vzpomenout na sv\u016fj p\u016flstolet\u00ed star\u00fd v\u00fdcvik a o\u017eivit v\u0161echny sv\u00e9 zku\u0161enosti v\u00e1le\u010dn\u00e9ho veter\u00e1na z\u00a0Koreje. Sou\u010dasn\u011b se sna\u017e\u00ed vc\u00edtit do d\u011btsk\u00e9 mysli a beze slov porozum\u011bt Paulovi. Zat\u00edmco traumatizovan\u00fd chlapec celou cestu ml\u010d\u00ed, Sheldon mu neust\u00e1le n\u011bco vypr\u00e1v\u00ed, a\u010dkoliv si je v\u011bdom, \u017ee Paul anglicky neum\u00ed. Mezi chlapcem a sta\u0159\u00edkem se v\u0161ak i p\u0159es jazykovou bari\u00e9ru vytvo\u0159\u00ed zvl\u00e1\u0161tn\u00ed pouto.<\/p>\n
Na pozad\u00ed krimin\u00e1ln\u00ed z\u00e1pletky se Sheldon vyrovn\u00e1v\u00e1 s\u00a0p\u0159\u00edzraky minulosti, v\u00a0my\u0161lenk\u00e1ch se setk\u00e1v\u00e1 se sv\u00fdm synem Saulem, kter\u00fd padl jako voj\u00e1k ve Vietnamu, s\u00a0ned\u00e1vno zesnulou man\u017eelkou Mabel \u010di kamar\u00e1dem Billem. Dozv\u00edd\u00e1me se tak\u00e9 \u017eivotn\u00ed p\u0159\u00edb\u011bh jeho milovan\u00e9 Rhey, pojmenovan\u00e9 podle tit\u00e1nsk\u00e9 bohyn\u011b. Hlavn\u00ed d\u011bjov\u00e1 linie \u010dasto ustupuje do pozad\u00ed, aby poskytla prostor Sheldonov\u00fdm vzpom\u00ednk\u00e1m, kter\u00e9 neslou\u017e\u00ed jen k\u00a0retardaci d\u011bje a up\u0159esn\u011bn\u00ed vztah\u016f, ale p\u0159edev\u0161\u00edm utv\u00e1\u0159ej\u00ed do hloubky charakter hlavn\u00ed postavy. <\/p>\n
Z\u00a0detektivn\u00edho thrilleru, jak se kniha jev\u00ed na prvn\u00ed pohled, se tak st\u00e1v\u00e1 psychologick\u00fd rom\u00e1n popisuj\u00edc\u00ed bilancov\u00e1n\u00ed star\u00e9ho mu\u017ee na sklonku \u017eivota, kter\u00fd naplno pro\u017e\u00edv\u00e1 sv\u00e9 posledn\u00ed dobrodru\u017estv\u00ed. Pr\u00e1v\u011b propl\u00e9t\u00e1n\u00ed r\u016fzn\u00fdch \u017e\u00e1nr\u016f a form\u00e1ln\u00ed vybrou\u0161enost p\u0159id\u00e1v\u00e1 Millerov\u011b knize na poutavosti. P\u0159\u00edb\u011bh neupad\u00e1 do \u0161edi \u017e\u00e1nrov\u00fdch stereotyp\u016f, nechyb\u00ed j\u00ed v\u0161ak thrillerov\u011b vyhrocen\u00e9 situace, kter\u00e9 \u010dten\u00e1\u0159\u016fm rozbu\u0161\u00ed srdce. Nap\u011bt\u00ed p\u0159ich\u00e1z\u00ed ve vln\u00e1ch a stup\u0148uje se a\u017e k\u00a0n\u00e1hl\u00e9mu z\u00e1v\u011bru.<\/p>\n