March 24, 1993, Erick Vauthier, a volunteer with the Paris Fire Brigade, was severely wounded during a fire at a warehouse in Rungis. Bernard Le Bars, a former Paris fireman-turned-photographer, has followed the slow and trying stages of Erick's recovery up through the present. After an impressive section of photos documenting the daily lives of firefighters, the work tells the story of a man who went from being rescuer to victim, who – in his own words – passed over "to the other side".

Doctors, surgeons and loved ones show him the same generosity and vitality he himself had offered victims during each of his rescuers.