A retired academic and writer becomes a media celebrity, appearing on talk shows to voice his controversial views on human nature and the state of the world ("Of course the FBI do not want to discover actual bombers! They want to feel free to lock up anyone they choose!"). While in New York to make an appearance on televison, he is the victim of a hit-and-run accident - arranged by the government? terrorists? - and ends up confined to hospital bed. This forced inactivity allows him time to reflect - on the work he has done, the women he has known - as various figures from his life, including both his first and second wives, gather around him. Dredging up long-buried memories while trying to make sense of the here and now, the narrator begins to see his provocative ideas about infidelity, sin, and grace play themselves out in his own life.