This is a simple story of a young man, Alex, born under poorcircumstances in a deprived area of Glasgow. Alex is conceivedduring a one-day romantic encounter of his mother with anAmerican serviceman during World War II. He is placed in anorphanage where, without the support of a loving family, hebecomes sullen and hostile. When he leaves school he gathers agang around him, which engages in increasingly more violent andcriminal activities: he becomes a thoroughly bad man.He is forced to move on from place-to-place: first to Gourock onthe west coast, then down to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and then toSingapore, where he enjoys life and becomes interested in Chineselanguage and culture. Since leaving Glasgow he has steadily beenlosing his earlier callous ways, but occasionally he regresses: he isforced to move on yet again, this time to Hong Kong.He meets a young woman in ill health in Hong Kong and gentlyestablishes a loving relationship with her. However, when the youngwoman dies he is distressed and cannot bear to stay in Hong Kongany longer. He returns to Scotland, a different man from when heleft: indeed, he is now a good man. The novel contains much detailabout China, Singapore and Hong Kong, and of the kind, friendly andhelpful nature of the Chinese.