Following the same tradition as Dante, the 40 poems of this work represent the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Concentrating on the struggle to reach the "promised land, " author Alda Merini recalls the tales of Moses at Mount Sinai, the Israelites' 40 years in the desert, and Jesus' fast in the wilderness. This narrative uniquely intertwines religious histories with clues to the author's own search for the laws or powers that rule her movements and visions.