Jonas Lyrer is an introverted 20-year-old who loves plants. He feels more at home among his green companions than he does among humans. With his strange, woodland-Dionysus-like appearance, he has always been ostracised, by both his peers and his own family. Growing up in the decadent Drys mansion with a semi-alcoholic father and an eccentric aunt, Jonas devoted himself to the greenhouse built by his great-grandfather, the adventurous botanist Hasso, who explored Borneo. However, Hasso disappeared mysteriously in 1945, leaving behind a fascinating story which Jonas is trying to recount in letters to his friend Stella in the hope that she will find it interesting enough to turn it into a solarpunk novel. Amidst the loneliness and reflections on the future brought about by the pandemic, Jonas attempts to make sense of his life, as his family's history of traditions and revolutions intertwines with the tumultuous events of Italy.