In this huge novel of nearly 600 pages (from the author of The Caine Mutiny, Marjorie Morningstar, War and Remembrance, etc)about an aspiring young author's assault on the citadel of New York publishing, Wouk's hero Youngblood Hawke launches his career with an oversized manuscript that becomes an instant success. Toasted by critics and swept along on a tide of popularity, he gives himself over to the lush life that gilds artistic success. It is a story of a young writer caught up in the glamour and intrigue of "life at the top" in New York, and suggests the life and career of Thomas Wolfe.

The 1992 paperback was re-issued in April 2004, and became widely available again in Britain, where it had enjoyed success in the early 1960s.