These stories are portraits of men adrift — in their own fantasies, failures, and confusing successes. In the title story, a man's desire to bring an honourable end to a love affair is severely tested by the internal and external obstacles presented by a long summer afternoon. “My God, Richard Is Beautiful” follows the drifting, post-coital reflections of a young man who has just slept with his close friend's girlfriend, while “House Cleaning” enacts a comic psychodrama of love, anti-depressants, and class warfare.