This unusual and charming story begins in medieval Arles, in 1039. A modest shoemaker one day meets a strange man on the river bank - under the scorching sun he is selling useless umbrellas. Out of courtesy, the young man buys an umbrella from the old man, and at the same time receives a small book with blank pages. From this moment on, the life of the poor shoemaker changes irreversibly; he faces incredible and slightly surreal adventures. But the main thing is that from now on he will create History. More precisely, this will be done by a modest, battered little book, each entry in which will predetermine the course of world history. It is very difficult to control a wayward manuscript, and many people strive to take possession of it... Without falling into excessive seriousness, Francis Malka talks about the events that determined the fate of Europe and the whole world. The great flood, the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the campaign of Christopher Columbus, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand form an educational and adventurous mosaic.