Ten-year-old Victor is mischievous and spoiled, living in Prague with his mother, Hana, a stage actress who struggles to manage her own life, let alone raise Victor. To focus on her career, she sends Victor to stay with his grandmother in the countryside, despite his resistance to the change. Over time, Victor grows increasingly disillusioned with his domineering grandmother, who believes that his life and his mother's must follow a strict order. The novel revolves around Hana's struggles with her career, Victor's inner world and how he thinks and copes with everything happening around him, and his grandmother, whose connection with her grandson leads her to discover a previously unaware side of herself.