George Webber leaves his small-town North Carolina roots for the sprawling, indifferent landscape of New York City, only to find his artistic ambitions and romantic desires thwarted by the rigid social structures of the urban elite.

Driven by a desperate need to establish himself as a writer, Webber navigates the harsh realities of the publishing industry and the complexities of a volatile relationship with the socialite Esther Jack. The narrative follows his physical movement from the South to the metropolis and eventually to Europe, mirroring his internal shift from youthful idealism to a more cynical, outward-looking perspective. Written with a dense, lyrical intensity, the novel functions as a semi-autobiographical account of the artist's struggle to reconcile his provincial origins with the demands of a changing American society.

Discussion often centers on the stylistic evolution of the author as he transitions from the intimate character studies of his earlier works to a broader critique of American society. Readers frequently highlight the raw, poetic quality of the prose, noting that it captures the turbulence of the protagonist's internal state with significant intensity. Critics often debate the effectiveness of the editorial changes made to the original manuscript, which some argue lead to an inconsistent narrative flow. Despite these structural critiques, the work remains a significant point of interest for those examining the intersection of personal experience and the broader cultural shifts of the 1930s.