Albert, who prefers being called Edward, is a young lad in the 1880s who suffers badly from epilepsy - Grand Mal. He and his mother move from place to place because as soon as his condition is known, they are not allowed to stay. His mother is a talented flower painter and music teacher, and Edward has inherited her artistic abilities. When his mother marries Mr Bittern, the head of an Academy for Young Ladies, she begins to take Edward to a series of quacks, each of whom claim to have the answer to his condition. When she dies after childbirth, Edward is left in the highly controlled care of Mr Bittern, a man incapable of loving him. A spell at Margate at The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital for Sick and Crippled Children is an eye-opener. He meets other children with various serious conditions, but his epilepsy shows no improvement. His dawning realisation that if he is to have a life, he will have to cope on his own, sends him to renew his painting skills, thereby making enough money to go to Italy. On the journey he has an attack and is rescued by none other than Edward Lear, a fellow sufferer and artist, who takes him home. Lear helps Edward understand that he must strike out on his own and that a comfortable life will never be an option. This is a strong story, not a particularly happy one, but at the end we feel Edward will make his way. The portrayal of Lear is remarkable. The hardships and rejections of people with epilepsy in the 19th Century is grimly and believably portrayed.