A man named Lee Mellon believes he is a descendant of a Confederate general who was originally from Big Sur, California.

Mellon seeks the truth of his own modern-day war against the status quo of the modern United States in light of the Confederacy's past struggle with the Union.

The novel's overall theme is the struggle of the human mind's perceptions and beliefs versus reality.

Brautigan completed the novel in 1961 but it was not published until January 22, 1965.

The novel sold poorly and soon went out of print but was later republished when Brautigan developed something of a cult following, largely based on his reputation developed in response to his next major work, the novella Trout Fishing in America.