The student community of the rural boarding school is dominated by the cult of merciless violence and the humiliation of the weaker. However, this is nothing new for the main character, Erik. The beatings he received from his foster father were everyday at home, and his position in his previous school depended on brute physical strength as well. As a problem child, he ends up in a residential institution from this environment, almost as a last chance. He and his new friend, Pierre, desperately try to understand the nature of evil and find a way to defeat it without becoming evil themselves. But is it possible to combat violence without using violence?

The novel, which captures the author's own experiences from his youth - which is related to the works "Lord of the Flies" and "School on the Border" - has become a classic in Sweden.
The book was also made into a film, which was nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film in 2004. The cover shows the portrait of the author in his youth.