Many years after the death of his uncle, Anthony Passeron decides to tell the story of his family. Talk about how his grandparents worked hard to earn a living in a butcher shop to provide for the future of their children. About how his father followed in their footsteps. And how his uncle Desiree - the hope of the family - stumbled and fell into a trap that killed an entire generation of young people. The author weaves together two inextricably linked stories: a tragedy that shook several generations of his family to the core, and the story of doctors who desperately resisted denial and ignorance in attempts to unravel the mystery of a mysterious disease that has turned many thousands of people into outcasts.