Wilson Patch, a conventional upper-middle-class man from New Jersey, changed in college. He developed an ill-conceived dream of moving to California, living on the beach, and never owning an alarm clock. His dream gradually evaporates as forces he cannot control draw him back to New Jersey and New York City. Along the way, he meets Lisa, Slade, and Grace, all of whom figure prominently in the novel. Wilson's life gravitates eventually from fantasy back into reality. He eventually travels to California, but via airliner on a business trip. This is about the disintegration of Wilson's dream.
