Jostein Gaarder brings together ten stories and short texts in his debut collection. What they all have in common is the crossing of boundaries - boundaries between time and infinity, and between life and death. Gaarder playfully approaches the big questions of life. Sensitive and poetic, humorous and imaginative, he presents himself here as a wonderfully versatile storyteller. "Now I want to lead my own life," says the protagonist. In the story "Theobald and Theodor," the character refuses to follow the author's dictates - and turns the tables! The writer, for his part, believes he has the situation firmly under control. After all, it was his idea to give the characters as much freedom as possible.