The black child grows up in a village in Upper Guinea where the marvelous meets reality on a daily basis. His father, a blacksmith, works gold to the rhythm of the harp of griots and incantations to the geniuses of fire and wind. Respected by all, her mother enjoys mysterious powers over beings and things. She knows how to deflect spells and keep the crocodiles of the Niger River away. Eldest of the family, the little boy is destined to take over from his father in the workshop and, above all, to perpetuate the spirit of his caste within the village. But his strong desire to learn will inevitably lead him to other horizons, far from the traditions and customs of his people.