When a fortuneteller s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene kws the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller s mysterious answer (An elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that Peter can hardly dare to believe it. But it is all of it true.