Within the context of the novel are many political references as well as humor and satire. But the real context of the story centers on drug abuse, jewelry theft, fine wine theft, art theft, working for the mafia, and stealing from the mafia, as well as the author's employment in the exciting, fast-paced world of fashion photography and his eventual downfall.
It is the story about how, for a brief period of time he obeyed only the law... of gravity. He once believed that the answers to all of life's problems could be found in the bottom of a bottle. They are probably still there, but now they are printed in Chinese. It is a story in which he learns "A heart is not judged by how much you love; but how much you are loved by others."