Aspiring writer Arthur Youngblood Hawke moves from Hovey, Kentucky, to New York City with nothing but a manuscript and a dream: to make it as a novelist. When, impossibly, his manuscript is sold - and becomes an overnight success - Hawke finds himself instantly famous and wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. He gives himself over to the high life, enjoying everything fame, fortune and New York City can offer.

But Hawke, like so many dreamers before him, will discover that fame and fortune are dangerous friends.