Kenneth Trachtenberg, has left his native Paris to be near his beloved uncle Benn Crader, who lives from affair to affair and from "bliss to breakdown". As Kenneth grapples with his own problems, the two men try to figure out why gifted and intelligent people invariably find themselves "knee-deep in the garbage of a personal life".



Kenneth Trachtenberg has left his native Paris for the Midwest. He has come to be near his beloved uncle, the world-renowned botanist Benn Crader, self-described 'plant visionary.' While his studies take him around the world, Benn, a restless spirit, has not been able to satisfy his longings after his first marriage and lives from affair to affair and from 'bliss to breakdown.' Imagining that a settled existence will end his anguish, Benn ties the knot again, opening the door to a flood of new torments.