Frederick Stephani

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.