Coming-of-age in the 1950s and struggling with his homosexuality, a nameless narrator seeks the consolations of a fantastic imagination and fills his head with romantic expectations. His distant, divorced parents exacerbate his hunger for emotional connection, and he endures the unhelpful attentions of a priest and a psychoanalyst. In time, he recognises the need to be loved by the men in his life and, in the surprising conclusion, escapes his childhood forever with one unforgettable act.
