Portrait of the artist as a young Buddha. Scared by his experience in World War I, Larry walks away from his fiancée and comfortable life among the nouveau riche of 1920's Chicago and bums around Europe and Asia seeking Enlightenment. Unfortunately Larry's saintliness makes for kind of a dull story, so Maugham focuses on Larry's circle of friends, such as the catty social climber Elliott and the manipulative Isabel. It sometimes feels like Larry is a character from a Tolstoy story drifting through a Henry James novel.
