Mark McGuire has the boundless curiosity of a mind without horizons. He loves classical music, serious literature and history. His own detailed exploration of these and associated subjects gives him a much wider education and a more cultured outlook than far more academically successful people. Mark’s rise, from the backstreets of Farnmoor to the higher echelons of the Civil Service contains many set-backs and wrong turnings before he eventually finds the way forward to a successful future. But success comes at a price. Mark has become an outsider. His restless quest for knowledge and an understanding of the world around him, has led Mark to deplore the dumbed-down popular culture of contemporary Britain. He refuses to have anything to do with it. His love-life is a series of unsatisfactory relationships with women who are unable to understand his individualistic philosophy. Is he destined to be alone forever?