And it was like that until she noticed the approaching whale spout — tall and loud near the shore — until she saw the long, shining, elastic body of the sea giant, Reau. Nau watched the whale from afar: the huge black body, in which sunlight glimmered deep down, and it seemed to her that the whale glowed from within with its own light. That’s how the legend-novella “When Whales Leave” begins. This book by Yuri Rytkheu is a passionate call for caring about nature and for upholding high moral principles in human beings.