Bastien is eight years old, and his mother is ill. Sheoften has what his father and grandparents call "episodes." She screams andfights, scratches and spits, and has to be carted away to specialized clinicsfor frequent treatments. Bastien doesn't like it when she goes, because when shecomes home, she isn't the same. She has no feelings, no desires, and not muchinterest in him. According to the doctors, Bastien's mother suffers from"bipolar disorder...