In a village square in Corsica lies the body of ardent nationalist, Stephane Campana, shot down at close range. And over his body weeps Virginie, the young woman who has venerated Stephane all her life - a veneration that has led her to abandon herself to him and his twisted desires completely.

Meanwhile, brother and sister Khaled and Hayet, who once gazed out to sea from the shoreline path known as "Balco Atlantico" and dreamed of a better future, are now stranded in Corsica. As Ferrari traces the history of Stephane and Virginie that leads to the shooting in the village square, we encounter the story of Khaled and Hayet and see through their story and the stories of many others in this one Corsican square how a relentless pursuit of happiness and fulfilment can bring us perilously close to despair and disillusionment.

Jerome Ferrari was born in Paris in 1968. His first novel in English translation, Where I Left My Soul was the winner of the Prix du roman France Televisions, the Prix Initiales, the Prix Larbaud, and the Grand Prix Poncetton de la SGDL in its French edition. His second, The Sermon on the Fall of Rome, was the winner of the 2012 Prix Goncourt, confirming his status as one of France's outstanding young literary talents.