At the age of 15, the narrator decides to leave his native Algeria and smuggle himself to France. For two years his determination to succeed overcomes all barriers, until he is confronted by the greatest challenge of all. One morning a ‘red veil’ falls over his eyes. The narrator’s response to the loss of his sight lies in his aptitude for numbers, his passion for literature and his love for the young women in his life. Based on the author’s own life, this is a powerful account of the resilience of a formidable adolescent.