With his life constantly in flux as he lives through many historic upheavals, Roland Baines, haunted by lost opportunities, searches for comfort through music, literature, friends, sex, politics and love, struggling against global events beyond his control that have shaped his existence and memories.

When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War, eleven-year-old Roland Baines is stranded at a boarding school. His vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miss Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade. Twenty-five years later, Roland's wife vanishes, leaving him alone with his tiny son. As the radiation from Chernobyl spreads across Europe, he confronts the reality of his rootless existence. Seeking solace through every possible means-- music, literature, friends, sex, politics-- his journey raises important questions. Can we take full charge of the course of our lives without causing damage to others? How do global events beyond our control shape our lives and our memories? And what can we really learn from the traumas of the past? -- adapted from jacket