When Jonas' exasperated publisher sues him for failing to produce the book he has been amply paid to write over the course of a year and a half, much more than Jonas' integrity or writing skills are at stake. Working on the biography of Abrasha Davidov, pioneer and national hero, not only brings Jonas into contact with scores of people eager to unburden their own memories of this living legend, but also forces him to confront his own limitations. He comes to loathe the paragon of virtue he is supposed to be eulogizing. After all, didn't Davidov spend his days building roads in the searing heat, defending settlements against marauding Arabs... while he, Jonas, seems unable to shake his own sloth. Between one hangover and the next, the situation worsens... but did Davidov-the-idol actually have feet of clay?