Richard M. Goodwin investigates the feasibility and personal transformation inherent in navigating a vintage, temperamental barge from the Thames in London to the heart of Vienna. The author, driven by a romanticized vision of nomadic river life observed in Paris, documents his acquisition and restoration of an aging vessel named Leontyne. Through a blend of technical maritime challenges and cultural observation, Goodwin provides a detailed account of the logistical realities and social encounters involved in a cross-continental river voyage.

The narrative offers a grounded, observational look at the realities of long-distance river travel, focusing on the mechanical and social hurdles of such an endeavor. The text serves as a practical, if personal, record of European waterways during the late 1980s.