The book begins by chronicling Werner's musical education. He was a dysfunctional learner from an early age, which he credits to the school system and the "cultural wasteland" which he grew up in. While he never practiced unless forced to, he was still the best pianist in the neighborhood, the only way he had of being accepted by his peers. When he was of college age, he applied to and was accepted to the Manhattan School of Music, where he discovered to his dismay, that there were students there who could play as well or better than he could, and who practiced.
