Within the walls of the Grave, the orphanage where Nica grew up, stories and legends have always been told by candlelight. The most famous is that of the manufacturer of tears, a mysterious craftsman with eyes as clear as glass, guilty of having forged all the fears and anxieties that inhabit the hearts of men. But at seventeen for Nica the time has come to leave behind the gloomy fairy tales of her childhood. In fact, her biggest dream is about to come true. Mr and Mrs Milligan have started adoption procedures and are ready to give her the family she has always wanted. In the new house, however, Nica is not alone. Together with her, Rigel, a restless and mysterious orphan, is also taken away from the Grave, the last person in the world
that Nica would want as her adoptive brother. Rigel is intelligent, shrewd, plays the piano like a demon charmer and has a beauty capable of bewitching, but his angelic appearance conceals a dark nature. Even if Nica and Rigel are united by a common past of pain and deprivation, coexistence between them seems impossible. Especially when the legend creeps back into their lives and the tearmaker suddenly becomes real, closer and closer. Yet Nica, sweet and courageous, is willing to do anything to defend her dream, because only if she has the courage to face the nightmares that torment her, she will finally be able to soar free like the butterfly whose name she bears.