A nonagenarian magnet who as a boy was denied a concert career takes over his wife's small orchestra and decides to turn it into a major new symphony orchestra in New York City. The protagonists are journey-people musicians struggling to make a living. A flutist and a bassoonist, their wives and friends, are enlisted in the new orchestra. A young woman conductor is hired to conduct Mahler's Eighth. The novel carries everyone through a first concert in Carnegie Hall, its failure, and what happens afterwards. This book explores the many aspects of music in America, sprinkled with philosophical and ethical concerns.