The main character of the novel—a scholar-philosopher tired of the constraints of everyday life—accidentally learns about an amazing person: Gaspare Langenhaerte, a famous eccentric of the 18th century who believed that the entire world is a product of his own mind. He even founded his own school, the so-called school of egoists, where his followers could meet, debate, and philosophize. But what are passionate arguments for if every dispute will ultimately remain a monologue?