It's 1972. Impetuous Jack Muir disembarks in Durban, South Africa, and never looks back. Fleeing the stifling town of Genoralup, he seeks to lose himself in a world of misadventure.

From South Africa to a kibbutz in Israel, Jack is caught between running from and seeking the things he needs: a mother's love, the loss of a child, and a kind, steady woman. Across time and continents, old Jack Muir remembers those who helped him become a decent man, a better father, and a friend.