Langston Cane V is thirty-eight, divorced and childless, and has just been fired for sabotaging a government official's speech. The eldest son of a white mother and prominent black father, Langston feels more acutely than ever the burden of his illustrious family name. After a run-in with his father in Oakville, Langston takes off for Baltimore, where he embarks on a remarkable quest to uncover his family's past— and his own sense of self.