Encompassing a sweep of contemporary society, ranging from the worlds of law and publishing in Manhattan to life in a small Southern city, The View from Pompey's Head tells the story of a young lawyer, Anson Page. After an absence of fifteen years, Page finds it necessary to return to his home town of Pompey's Head. His mission is singularly curious. Upon the death of noted New York editor, Phillip Greene, it is discovered that Greene withdrew a large sum of money from the royalties of Garvin Wales, a famous American novelist. As the legal representative of the firm of which Greene was editor-in-chief, Page is called upon to unravel the mystery. His search for a solution leads him into a far more meaningful quest-one that involves a love affair, a personal crisis, and a final understanding of the forces in Pompey's Head that are responsible for his being the person he is.