Following the discovery of a stolen poem, Neal Bowers finds alarming evidence of repeated thefts of two of his own poems. Other poets are also found to have been plagiarized, but none more than once. Bewildered to be the "victim of choice", as instances of theft mount, Bowers feels his own creativity stifled. Determined to hold the plagiarist accountable, Bowers is drawn into a bizarre chase, which he documents in this book, describing the publicity generated by his experience. The theft introduces the poet and his wife to the legal system and to a sympathetic detective, and he reveals the varying reactions of fellow poets, and touches on the even more ambitious activities of the plagiarist. Finally, a strange and entertaining correspondence ensues as a result of the affair.