A high school pact extends over decades in this epic novel of spiritual quest, self-discovery, and evolving friendships. As high school students in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Cosmo was their small group's "charm" while Nick was its "conscience." In a LSD-induced haze at Woodstock, the friends pledge a covenant of loyalty. But when Cosmo goes AWOL from the Army and Nick betrays another member of their group, both Nick and Cosmo embark on odysseys to find themselves. In Nick's case, it's an attempt to resurrect his standing as the "Archangel," the golden boy who would sacrifice himself for his friends. Cosmo's quest pursues booze, drugs, revenge, fame, and, eventually, a different sort of spiritual enlightenment. Throughout their choices and wanderings, which stretch across continents, their youthful indiscretions and expectations haunt their abilities to move forward.