An incredible story about a preacher and his young disciple, a Sámi boy named Jussi. Summer of 1852, a remote village in the far north of Sweden. Jussi ran away from home where he was starving and suffering from beatings. Soon he will accompany the learned man Lestadius on his botanical expeditions, during which their teacher-student duo will form. The preacher will teach Jussi to distinguish plants, read and write, as well as to love and fear God. Lestadius brings the word of God to the Sámi pagans. But one day, their botany enthusiasm will push the pastor and Jussi onto a completely unexpected path. On a distant farmstead, a maidservant has disappeared — she did not return from the forest where she was tending cows. Where she vanished, bear claw marks were found on tree trunks. Everyone believes the girl was killed by a man-eating bear. Only the preacher doubts this. Thus begins an investigation led by Pastor Lestadius and the Sámi boy (an unexpected literary reincarnation of the Holmes-Watson duo). A captivating detective intrigue is woven into an equally fascinating historical novel, all presented with a warm, slightly ironic tone. Interestingly, Lars Levi Lestadius is a real historical figure, a man who spent his life among the Sámi and essentially converted them to Christianity.