Renegade, fugitive, Son of the Wind - Nathu Sanderson managed to deceive highbrow experts and seasoned intelligence officers. The phenomenon took refuge in the phenomenon, the child of discord - in the Sarcophagus, the impregnable bastion of past times. Three powerful civilizations - the ascetic Brahmins, the wolves of the Great Pompilius and the enlightened Largitas - lost their legs in search. Allies and enemies, they are looking for everything at once: a miracle boy, scapegoats, the slightest reason for war. The free Ecumene and the Sarcophagus prison have one thing in common: no matter where you are, your life is not worth a damn. “Prodigal Son” is the fifth novel in the epic “Ecumene,” which has long earned the interest and love of readers. “Cosmic Symphony” was written by G. L. Oldie ten years ago, and in “one distant galaxy” a year goes by two - it’s not for nothing that the new novel has the subtitle “Ecumene: Twenty Years Later.” What next? The universe will never be the same.