Jona is a twelve year old and an only child. Having recently been bereaved of his mother, he is forced to witness the deterioration of his father through drink.

Unable to accept the destruction of his happy family life, Jona escapes into a colorful world of fantasy. There he befriends a Spheroidal Multiphased Metamorph, and together they set out to find the magician who is blamed for casting a sleeping sickness spell on the Emperor.

On the way, he meets up with strange characters who help him in his quest. Among them, a timorous captain of the Emperor's guards; two-legged polo horses; a...