The piece This is not a fable takes place in the city of Samos, in ancient Greece. The slave Aesop, teller of fables, is given by a merchant to the philosopher Xantós. Aesop's greatest aspiration is to obtain his freedom. For this, he frees his owner from various complications with the promise that he will be freed. Xantós, however, shows himself to be a tyrant and refuses to give him freedom. Without ever abandoning his ethical and moral principles, Aesop fights for his freedom and gives it a non-negotiable value.