When Hektor's educational dreams are thwarted by familial attitudes in the aftermath of World War II, he pursues a career in retailing and merchandising. Purely by chance, he meets Werner von Unselm, a long-forgotten friend of his mother who immigrated to the United States in the 1920s. A year later, Hektor crosses the Atlantic, leaving his first love, Doretta, and his family behind in Germany. While not expecting the streets of America to be paved with gold, he is dreaming of making adventurous discoveries in the New World while trying to forget traumatic events experienced during the post-war era. But when Hektor meets Georgia, a distant cousin who hotly pursues him, all his dreams of reunification with Doretta and Germany fade away. Frustrated and utterly alone, he marries Georgia against his own good conscience and is taken on an emotional and devastating rollercoaster ride that leads to divorce. Always driven, Hektor moves west seeking a new life in Connecticut and Ohio. When he is transferred to Detroit he meets Laura on a blind date and falls in love. Will Laura bring love, peace, and contentment to Hektor Birken's turbulent life? Will his mother ever accept her prodigal son's move away from Germany? Will Hektor ever realize his professional dreams, or is this the end of a long road paved with countless disappointments? is an epic novel that follows the emigrant Hektor Birken through heights and valleys of astounding discoveries, shattering disappointments, and ultimate triumph and success.