This is an autobiography of an amature American climber and his misadventures. Early misadventures in the 1970s occur in Illinois where the author accidentally causes the closing of buildering on a water plant, and slow motion details of his first leader fall Colorado. The Simpson Incident is the center piece of this book. Each of these chapters is headed by a quote from one of Joe Simpson's books, including one quote from a complete chapter Simpson wrote about the author and the same incident in his book, «This Game of Ghosts (1993).» Ultimately, the author becomes the first American to climb the 5,500 foot high West face of Chambe Peak in Malawi, Africa.
