Having just been released from the Navy, Benny Profane is content to lead a slothful existence with his friends, where the only real ambition is to perfect the art of "schlemihlhood," or being a dupe, and where "responsibility" is a dirty word. Among his pals--called the Whole Sick Crew--is Slab, an artist who can't seem to paint anything other than cheese danishes. But Profane's life changes dramatically when he befriends Stencil, an active ambitious young man with an intriguing mission--to find out the identity of a woman named V., who knew Stencil's father during the war, but who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

chapter one

 In which Benny Profane, a schlemihl and human yo-yo, gets to an apocheir:

chapter two

 The Whole Sick Crew:

chapter three

 In which Stencil, a quick-change artist,does eight impersonations:

chapter four

 In which Esther gets a nose job:

chapter five

 In which Stencil nearly goes West with an alligator:

chapter six

 In which Profane re.ms to street level:

chapter seven

 She hangs on the western wall:

chapter eight

 In which Rachel gets her yo-yo back,Roony sings a song, and Stencil calls on Bloody Chiclitz:

chapter nine

 Mondaugen's story:

chapter ten

 In which various sets of young people get together:

chapter eleven

 Confessions of Fausto Maijstral:

chapter twelve

 In which things are not so amusing:

chapter thirteen

 In which the yo-yo string is revealed as a state of mind:

chapter fourteen

 V. in love:

chapter fifteen

 Sahha:

chapter sixteen

 Valletta:

Epilogue, 1919: