Willem de Waal lives in a tent in the floodplains of a large river. He lives alone with the trees, plants and extinct animals that surround him, under the protection of an ancient black poplar tree. No one knows about his existence outside the dikes. Or so it seems.

Only when he is chased out of his compound, Willem understands that even the wild is ultimately controlled by humans. And that in his self-chosen solitude he is dependent on others, who like him, are searching for freedom on their own terms.

In his latest novel Toine Heijmans takes his readers to the last Dutch wilderness, a magnificent in between space of fear and hope. Here the seasons, the water levels and the eternal river still rule. A fascinating setting for a novel about searching for freedom in nature that is without remorse.