David Lodge's novel begins at James' midlife, the last twenty years of the 19th century when James' fortunes were at their lowest, culminating in his largest debacle, the failure of his play "Guy Domville." At the center of the novel is his friendship with the writer George Du Maurier, who provides James with the story behind Trilby. When James passes on using it for the basis of a novel, Du Maurier writes it instead and it becomes a bestseller. Du Maurier, however, has difficulty coping with success while James decides he must try harder to achieve it
