A romantic, pacy tale of a lawyer's search for love amid the insanity of the City, male yearning and the work/life imbalance, a father's spirit.
This is about the search for love amid work/life pressures, set in a law firm.
Nathan Brace is alone, confused, conscious of his recently deceased fighter pilot father. He is smitten by a colleague, Hillary Summers, who is more vulnerable than he imagines. Initially a bit of an anti-hero, we identify with his struggle for harmony.
They are pitched into a David and Goliath battle; a small company fighting to retrieve a secret formula stolen by their giant competitor.
His unworldly client, Troy Hem, becomes a kind of mentor. Although yearning for Hillary, Nathan also stalks the lonely hearts columns to ease his loneliness. His tragi-comic encounters with women,together with harassment from a male colleague - only increase his bewilderment.
The case settles successfully after Nathan tracks down an eccentric chemist. Victory is marred by Troy’s heart attack. Meanwhile, the patrician owner betrays them all. Troy’s death, all the punishing work, seems futile.
Hillary reveals a terrible secret to Nathan. She wants him to step up to the mark. Still evolving, he blows his response. Mired in self-loathing, he is seduced by the office flirt.
Hillary, forgiving but demanding, challenges Nathan. Awareness glimmers. He snatches a provisional victory.