Set in the tony resort town of Newport RI during the height of the Jazz Age in summer 1926 Theophilus North follows the exploits of the title character as he searches for adventure and his place in the world. Quitting his teaching position in New Jersey and stranded in Newport after his jalopy breaks down thirty-year-old Theophilus takes odd jobs (tennis instructor French tutor private reader...) in houses of the wealthy infiltrating himself into the lives and troubles of Newport