On April 15, 1912 -- ironically, the date of the sinking of the Titanic -- Pilgrim fails, once again, to commit suicide. His heart miraculously begins to beat five hours after he is found hanging from a tree. Admitted to the Burgholzi Psychiatric Clinic in Zurich by his dear friend Lady Sybil Quartermaine, Pilgrim -- at first, stubbornly mute -- begins a battle of psyche and soul with Carl Jung, self-professed mystical scientist of the unconscious and slave to his own sexual appetite.
Populated with a fascinating parade of historical characters, including Jung, Oscar Wilde, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry James, and Gertrude Stein, Pilgrim is a richly layered story of a man's search for his own destiny and an absorbing, fascinating novel that explores ageless questions about humanity and consciousness.
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