This is the story of Raab, a boy dogged by misfortune and the darkness around him, hence dubbed Raabe (Raven). Having casually lost his father somewhere along the line, it has never really sunk into him that his father is actually dead. Raabe is sent to boarding school. There he meets the offspring of the nouveauriche Liebherr hotel dynasty, who soon becomes known as Fieber (Fever) after having faked high temperature and being caught. Another classmate, Andrea, has rejected the feminine connotation of the 'a'- ending in her first name because she does not want to be a girl. Then there is Taubman (Deafman) whose handicap prevents him from being taken seriously. Raabe is fascinated by Deafman's sensitivity and so the two share a silent friendship. The Stonemason and the Pharmacist (Raabe's grand-uncle) are also two taciturn friends in our tale. After boarding school Raabe first does an apprenticeship with his grand-uncle, then with the Stonemason, where he works like a dog. The Stonemason dies - twice. Whereupon Raabe - a distant relative of Voltaire's Candide - in an attempt at liberation leaves the countryside and settles into the wild city.