When Tony begins having trouble urinating in his late-40s, he has no idea why, and even less inkling that he's about to become an unwilling combatant in an internal battle that will last over a decade and significantly change his life physically, psychologically, sexually, and emotionally. Firmly-held beliefs and a longstanding way of living are gradually challenged, frequently dislodged, occasionally obliterated, and ultimately transformed by Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), which afflicts half of all men over 50. Tony becomes increasingly obsessed with his condition as it worsens, processing voluminous info about it, changing his perspective on aging, playing amateur doctor on himself with sporadic success, and using his body as an unscientific experimental lab in a constant search for answers that takes his Californian approach to life through Eastern philosophy and western medicine, natural remedies and alternative medicine, and whatever else is reputed to work. Tony's uneven, humorous, and sometimes contentious relationship with Dr. Tatum, which fluctuates with the pendulous swings and sudden misdirections of the condition, features the interplay of an expert in urology with no personal experience and a patient who has more personal experience than he ever wanted.
