As the seventh of eight children from a financially disadvantaged mountain village family, Philipp Gurt was born in Graubünden, Switzerland. In 1972, all eight children were separated from each other. Over the following twelve years, Gurt experienced, among other things, forced placement in various children's homes, involuntary psychiatric treatment, sexual abuse by caregivers, and physical violence. The author vividly and movingly recounts his difficult years of fate and describes the strategies he had to adopt early on to survive the unimaginable. Yet, where there was darkness, he also found light. Philipp Gurt writes about how he continually sought and found moments of happiness in his shattered world, ensuring that he never lost hope or his laughter.