The novel's protagonist, his vicissitudes, his ambitions and his whole life revolve around one of the greatest intellectuals of the 20th century, Pier Paolo Pasolini. This is a curious situationof indirect knowledge: the protagonist works at the Pasolini Foundation together with Laura Betti - a close friend of the great author and actress in many of his films. His research focuses on Petrolio, the intriguing book Pasolini worked on from 1972 until his death; a hidden story in the book becomes the protagonist's guide to the mysteries of life. The book was published within the framework of the "Creative Europe" project of the European Union program.