Many thousands of years ago, in a world that has little in common with our world, yet was also ours, a boy called Piojo (Louse), who has only known cruelty from the man who has been his caretaker since he was orphaned, decides to strike out on his own struggle for existence. Piojo grows in his search for a place among his people, learning to handle himself in a world that is hostile but, at the same time, offers him a unique opportunity to survive and find happiness at last.

Following the success of The Chosen Species and The Neanderthal’s Necklace, renowned paleontologist Juan Luis Arsuaga, co-director of the Atapuerca excavations, has written his first novel with the declared intent to combine his immense wealth of scientific knowledge with the evocative legends of wise men all over the world, including our own land. The result is a story with mythic resonance and in which the inner prehistoric man we all hide within will no doubt recognize himself.