This book begins by chronicling Zeno's early experiences as a gay man in his twenties; then it portrays him at fifty as an eccentric bachelor addicted to drink; and last, it recounts his difficulties with literary composition and how he overcame them. Throughout the book, there are small allusions to notable writers, and at the end, the hero`s comments on various dramatis personae of Shakespeare, Euripides, and Sophocles.