When a noted public figure invites journalist Mike Stanhope to ghost-write his autobiography, he jumps at it. He needs the money, and his life needs a new direction.

But Alan Treadwell is a tough taskmaster, imposing tight deadlines and taking a demanding slant on the way his book should be tackled. Soon Mike is wondering if he’s bitten off more than he can chew. He’d like to learn more from Joe, the original writer he’s been recruited to replace, but Joe is nowhere to be found.

It doesn’t help when Mike starts finding out things about the great man that he’d rather not know: things that someone would prefer to keep quiet.

Meanwhile, Mike’s hard-won relationship with his girlfriend is faltering badly, and his repeated absences aren’t helping. When he’s drawn to an attractive new woman he starts to question everything about his old life.