Home to Peter Mulrooney, a 40-year-old, unmarried teacher, teetering on the edge of fulfilment, Hero Town lies in the middle of nowhere, the centre of everywhere. Its citizens quarrel, grovel and intrigue; succeed and fail in lovemaking. They adore stories and preserve the life of the imagination. They communicate in the shorthand of nerves. By straining his eyes Peter can see vaguely through cavity walls and windows. Fingers snap, the inhabitants spring to attention, they talk volubly, they shudder, shake, fall, round and round on the circular moving contraption of life.