This book traces changing attitudes to tobacco largely through the experiences of the author. He grew up raising tobacco and, influenced by advertising, began smoking as a youth. He was conducting research in a chemical laboratory involving carcinogenic substances when the health effects of tobacco began to surface. While he was working with public interest organizations, environmental tobacco smoke began to be recognized as an indoor pollutant. Ethical issues forced him, like many others, to stop smoking, and he eventually became quite involved in pastoral work with sick smokers. The final chapter surveys the lessons that can be learned from one person's tobacco days.