Victim and benefactor of consumer capitalism, Alex Thorne documents his depraved and self-indulgent agony on his way to personal fulfilment. Beginning in his small home town in the north of England, Alex journeys to Palestine, the squat scene in Manchester, and across the USA. Along the way he wrestles with the absurdity of modern life while desperately trying to escape the impending realisation that existence is meaningless. The novel tells the story of Alex, but the real subject of the novel is the modern phenomena of self-enlightenment, the painful irony of trying to escape the selfish and greedy world of capitalism by focusing primarily on oneself. As Alex dedicates himself to his own improvement, he disregards those around him who enable his existence, and ultimately, those who give his existence meaning.