Plot Summary
As the adventure opens, Chief Vitalstatistix is heard yelling at his shieldbearers, much to the surprise of all the villagers. Asterix and Obelix, being closer to the chief's hut, discover what all the yelling was about when the shieldbearers pass by: Vitalstatistix has fired them for their latest blunder (when the chief had said it was a beautiful day, they bent over to look at the sky, thus tipping the chief off his shield). Vitalstatistix then announces to Asterix and Obelix that he wants them to be his new shieldbearers. Despite their protests, the pair have no choice but to carry the chief at an odd angle, much to the amusement of the other villagers (even when Obelix carries Vitalstatistix on his own, it's still funny).
Meanwhile, in Condatum Roman governor Varius Flavus has been "setting aside for himself" (i.e.embezzling) a large majority of the taxes he collects in order to finance a debauched lifestyle of never-ending parties, sending only a pittance to Rome. Quaestor Vexatius Sinusitus is sent by Rome in order to investigate. Flavus finds that the stiff, no-nonsense Quaestor will not be easy to corrupt so, while pretending to co-operate, he serves him food laced with poison and provides an inept team of doctors who make absurd guesses at the cause of Sinusitus' distress. Realizing his life is in danger, Sinusitus sends for the druid Getafix. Getafix, who identifies the malady as attempted murder by poison, agrees to brew an antidote for Sinusitus. However, he requires an essential ingredient, a flower called the silver star (edelweiss), which only grows on the highest mountains of Helvetia.
Getafix sends Asterix and Obelix to Helvetia (Switzerland) to retrieve the flower (leaving Vitalstatistix to make Fulliautomatix and Geriatrix his new shieldbearers). He also insists that Sinusitus remain in their Gaulish village as a hostage as, he claims, in order to guarantee Asterix and Obelix's return. This is actually a ruse to get Sinusitus away from Flavus, whom Getafix understands is the would-be killer.
Asterix and Obelix reach Helvetia but soon run into difficulties set by the Romans, as Varius Flavus has warned his colleague in Helvetia, the equally-corrupt Curious Odus, of their arrival. Thus the Gauls find themselves continually chased by the Romans, but they manage to get help from some courageous Helvetians, including the hotel manager Petitsuix (who has to dirty his hotel floor to cover up the Gauls' presence), Zurix the bank manager (Asterix and Obelix spend a night in one of his safes, though they break it and have to hide in another one) and some Helvetian veterans who hold a celebration at Lake Geneva.
After some difficulties — including Obelix passing out from draining a whole cask of plum wine — the two Gauls manage to secure an edelweiss. A few days later, Varius Flavus comes to the village and asks how Sinusitus is doing, dropping hints that he should be executed. But Asterix and Obelix have returned to the village and made Getafix's antidote. Now cured, Sinusitus confronts Flavus and with the aid of some magic potion punches Flavus into the sky, announcing that he will now expose the corruption and that Flavus and Odus will be facing the lions in the Circus in Rome.
The story ends with the usual banquet, with Sinusitus being the first Roman ever to participate.
Read more about this topic: Asterix In Switzerland
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