ðə nˈɑːvəl kənsˈɜːnz ðɪ ɐdvˈɛntʃɚz ʌv “mˈaɪk”, hˈuː, ɹᵻkˈʌvɚɹɪŋ fɹʌm ɐ fˈeɪld mˈæɹɪdʒ, fˈɔːlz ɪn wɪð ɐ klˈiːk ʌv hˈɑːɹd kˈoːɹ nˈɔːɹðɚn ɹˈɑːk klˈaɪmɚz ænd bɪkˌʌmz ɪmˈɜːst ɪn ɐn ɪntˈɛns ænd ˈɪnwɚd lˈʊkɪŋ lˈaɪf stˈaɪl ɪnwˌɪtʃ klˈaɪmɪŋ ɪz sˌoʊ ɪmpˈoːɹtənt ðˈæt  “ɹˈiːəl lˈaɪf” ɪz ˈɔːl bˌʌt ɛksklˈuːdᵻd.
The novel concerns the adventures of “Mike”, who, recovering from a failed marriage, falls in with a clique of hard core northern rock climbers and becomes immersed in an intense and inward looking life style in which climbing is so important that  “real life” is all but excluded.