Overview
This work by a pre-eminent dramatist begins as a lecture being delivered by Mark Melon to an English women's club wherein he recounts how he took over a respected but financially shaky publishing house and ruthlessly streamlined by firing everyone in sight. The events described then come to life. Melon, who appears at first to be just another ruthless businessman, is actually insane. He has a breakdown and is committed to an institution where he undergoes shock and other therapies. He loses his stature in publishing and his wife and family, but he may have found some shred of his soul.