The novel's first-person protagonist, an unnamed vagrant with intellectual leanings, probably in his late twenties, wanders the streets of Norway's capital in pursuit of nourishment. In four episodes he meets a number of more or less mysterious persons, the most notable being Ylajali, a young woman with whom he has a semi-sexual encounter. This woman haunts him and he attempts to refind her to no avail. The character falls into traps of his own making, and with a lack of food, warmth and basic comfort, his mind turns slowly to ruin. Overwhelmed by hunger, he scrounges for meals, at one point nearly eating his own pencil. His social, physical and mental state are in constant decline. However, he has no antagonistic feelings towards society as such, rather he blames his fate on God or a divine world order. He vows not to succumb to this order and remains a foreigner in life, haunted by nervousness, by irrational details.