At a fundamental level this story is about second chances and metamorphosis of the heart. In the tradition of C. S. Lewis and John Updike, Bouvier - the penultimate atheist - experiences life after death for each of us and provides us an odyssey that challenges our traditional notions of the hereafter and happiness. The tale is couched within a love story, laced with sentimentality and counterpointed with humor. In the final analysis we discover what matters most in our personal and political life is not so much notoriety, but service and the ability to love, especially love the unlovable.