Ashes and cinnamon

It's hard to differentiate pleasure from pain when your mind, your body and your surroundings are giving you contradictory information on which is which.
Liese just moved with his dad for the third time, at least as far as he can remember. Finally, he may be able to finish his studies and live free. But this chance seem to slip between his fingers, an inch from his reach.
Can a centuries old cycle really be broken?