This absorbing tale of adventure begins as the Great War draws to a close, and our young hero, accustomed to fighting for his life, must now seek direction and purpose for that life. Born to a high position and great wealth, having lived an idyllic childhood, he finds himself a disillusioned wreck after war and revolution have swept away the glittering advantages. He faces his plight without hope or ambition, and takes to living by his wits.
Here is a vivid description if Europe during its maddest hour-the inflation. An erotic love affair, a romantic marriage with a tragic ending, political intrigue terminated by a firing squad; then Paris and the theatrical world, and the sadly ludicrous business of selling titles for the bankrupt nobility.
From Paris, our hero sets his course to become a fortune hunter in South America; a stoker; a partner in the manufacture of a Central American revolution; a purser on a ship; the intimate guest of a queen. All the experiences of an aimless, restless drifter, living precariously and intensely but getting nowhere, lead finally to what he has been unconsciously looking for-something that revives his courage to live.
