Henry Perowne is a contented man - a successful neurosurgeon, the devoted husband of Rosalind, a newspaper lawyer, and proud father of two grown-up children, one a promising poet, the other a talented blues musician What troubles him is the state of the world - the impending war against Iraq, a gathering pessimism since 911, and a fear that his city, its openness and diversity, and his happy family life are under threat