In this offbeat coming-of-age novel, a biracial narrator tells of growing up in rural America and later escaping to a new life in a city. Early on, the boy witnesses his father's struggles with idealism, alcoholism and an unrealized art career. The boy's mother tries to comfort him with her own brand of Eastern wisdom, but her statements only create more confusion. After a series of almost surreal incidents involving parents, teachers and the children around him, the boy manages to move away to attend college. During and after school, he travels in search of companionship, but finds nothing that lasts. Eventually, he settles in a city and begins to build a life. Not surprisingly, his preoccupations dog his personal relationships?until he succeeds in putting his past in perspective.