This is the story of Baxter Janus, a professional photographer, told from two viewpoints, in two voices; both of them are his. First, an imaginative, precocious, optimistic young boy growing into adulthood looks forward to an exciting life, telling of his dreams and ambitions. Then Baxter, nearing the end of his life, looks back at what went right...and what went wrong along the way. A startling revelation in his later years sends his quiet, albeit boring retirement into a tailspin.
Spanning nearly seventy years, from the end of World War II to present day, it chronicles his many adventures and misadventures, highs, lows, laughter and tears, as well as meeting several diverse, memorable and influential characters that help shape Baxter's life, even when he least expects it.