The book is comprised of eight essays that range from art to obsession. Heilbut explores the roles of gays in the gospel church, profiles the life and work of Aretha Franklin, discusses the rise of the soap opera and Irna Phillips, its most influential figure, detours to an expose on male sopranos, and explores the roles of émigrés from Hitler's Germany to America. On this broad journey through American culture, "Anthony Heilbut has been a guide and a mentor...I know of no one who has the love and depth of knowledge of this extraordinary author (Paul Simon)."