Siblings Christlieb and Felix von Brakel live with their parents in the countryside. One day, their wealthy, worldly uncle Cyprianus comes to visit and brings them modern mechanical toys from the city. He promises to arrange for a contemporary tutor so they won't fall behind. However, the promised educator, the pitch-black dressed Master Ink, turns out to be a misanthrope and sadist. Thus, they ask the magical foreign child they met on their forest walks for help. A fairy tale - also for adults: E. T. A. Hoffmann's master narrative, published in the collection The Serapion Brethren in 1819, appears for the first time as a complete standalone edition in the Insel-Bücherei, illustrated by the incomparable Lisbeth Zwerger.