On a summer day under a blue sky a man is stung on his foot by a bee, prompting to finally set out on his journey; he boards a train to Paris, crosses the city by Métro, and disembarks in a small town on the plains to the north. He is searching for a young woman he calls the Fruit Thief, who, like him, is traveling to the Vexin plateau. In this novel by Nobel Laureate Peter Handke, however, nothing will be that simple, and in dreamlike prose he brings to life the people and places that the man encounters along the way.

"A gorgeous, multi-layered tapestry…. Handke is a marvel at capturing and digging deeply into the history, sights, sounds, smells, and feel of France, which comes alive in his masterly hands."—Library Journal (starred review)