A struggling writer finds his professional ambitions and personal identity in direct conflict when he accepts a biography commission from an eccentric, demanding novelist. Gordon Scott-Thompson needs the financial security of the advance, but his subject, Jimmie Fane, insists on imposing arbitrary and absurd standards of conduct upon him. As Fane attempts to mold Gordon to fit his own elitist worldview, the narrative explores the friction between artistic integrity and the compromises required by the publishing industry. The story unfolds through a sharp, observational lens that highlights the petty power dynamics inherent in the biographer-subject relationship.

This work is characteristic of the author's late-career focus on the absurdities of social and professional life. The narrative relies on the interplay between a rigid, elitist subject and a protagonist who represents a more relaxed, modern sensibility. Readers often note the precise, biting wit used to dismantle the pretenses of the literary elite. The book functions as a commentary on the compromises individuals make when their livelihood depends on the approval of those they find personally distasteful. The pacing remains steady, prioritizing character-driven humor over complex plot developments.