"The Baron in the Trees" is a novel that tells a story of a young boy that decides to rebel against his father and never go back on his decisions. It is told from a perspective of the rebel's brother, who is an old man in the presence re-telling the story of his brother.
Cosimo is the oldest son of the noble family and whose father insist on them living according to their titles despite the change of times. After an incident where Cosimo and his brother spend time locked up in a dark room, Cosimo decides to rebel and climb a nearby tree. His father mockingly suggests that he will have to come down from the tree at some point, and he answers that he will never come down again. He never comes back down to the ground again.
Cosimo's family is at first ashamed and concerned, but after they see the positive reactions to their son's strange decision, they start to accept and support him as well. He becomes famous all over the Europe, with likes of Voltaire hearing about his story. In Cosimo is awakened a love for books and knowledge, and he spends a lot of his time studying in the trees.
Later in life, he spends time writing works on nature and mankind, trying to explain his decisions. He reunites with the love of his life, Viola, but after a passionate relationship they split because of a stubbornness and lack of understanding between each other.
Cosimo, as an old ill man on whom the harsh conditions of life have taken a toll, sees an air balloon overhead and grabs onto it. He is never seen again. His brother is left pondering about whether the place Ombrosa ever existed, or if it was only there so Cosimo could exist in it.
The novel tells the story of a man who decided to live his life true to himself, never going back on his decisions. The main themes portrayed are those of rebellion and consistency in one's own decisions, decision to live freely and independently as well as nature and man's relationship to it.
