After twenty-two years with the same company, George Breal is out of work for the first time in his life. He must confront the unpleasant task of reinventing his career at an age when many are winding down their ambitions and looking forward to retirement. A skilled manager, he finally finds work at the slowly failing Electronic Technologies (ETI), which has come face-to-face with a modern German competitor. ETI is owned by the cantankerous, obsessive, and dictatorial entrepreneur John Lowell, who is starting to realize, as he closes out his seventies, that his shortcomings are a direct result of his misguided actions from the past.

George Breal, Edna Graham, and Catherine Lowell are three people who had never met but have one thing in common: they are key components in Lowell's life. Edna is his lover, Catherine his estranged daughter, and George the man who is trying to save his company.

Telling the story through the eyes of Edna, George, Lowell, and Catherine, Eisner transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary in this riveting and winning tale, filled with surprises and diverse, intriguing characters, all showcased by a writer who combines a touch of the poet with a dispassionate view of corporate America at its worst and best.