In this volume, President João Goulart is overthrown by the Armed Forces. Inocencio witnesses the harsh crackdown on political opponents by the regime. He sees families torn apart: brothers turning on brothers, sons against fathers, neighbors betraying neighbors. Unhappy with his world, he feels something's missing and craves new ideas and experiences.
“Inocencio, you now possess the means to seek the Great Man, so that you may be free and learn to rule yourself,” his grandfather told him the night before he died.
But what is the Great Man? What defines him? Where does he dwell? How can one truly comprehend his greatness?
Determined, Inocencio embarks on one final quest. This time, the journey is inward — a psychological odyssey that will test his courage in ways he's never known. He sheds his illusions and sets forth to the Old World, birthplace of philosophers and sages, believing that somewhere in Europe, ancient wisdom awaits.
What he discovers there leaves him in awe.
