"The life of an individual is a haunting refrain that begins before his first memory, and even before his first distinct cell. This cell tells the story of all those which preceded it--transferred and modified from generation to generation. In the story of my life, then, I must find the story of all those other lives: the history of life itself." Through a series of intimate and nostalgic vignettes, Vincent explains key biological concepts; and how they describe who each one of us is. Neurobiologist Jean-Didier Vincent is director of the Institut Alfred Fessard. He has successfully published Biologie des Passions and Le chair et le diable at Editions Odile Jacob.