In the early 19th century, a young man's life took an extraordinary turn when he realized at the age of 32 that the unstoppable march of time seemed to have ground to a halt for him. Year after year, his face remained unlined, his body frozen in the prime of adulthood. At first, he thought it a mere quirk, but as the decades rolled by, it became clear that this was no simple trick of genetics or perception. He did not age.

Forced to reinvent himself every few decades to avoid arousing suspicion, the man — for he had long since shed his given name — wandered through the centuries like a wraith. His path twisted through all walks of life as he tried in vain to slake his thirst for purpose with wealth, power, philanthropy. He felt the full kaleidoscope of human emotion — despair, love, hatred — play out again and again in a seemingly endless loop. Yet nothing could fill the void of that central mystery: why was he denied the natural cycle of birth, aging, and death?

Stephane Benoit