Carl Reed lives a solitary low-key life in East Orange, New Jersey. He works as a kitchen hand in a local Bar and when not working, Carl writes poetry and contributes the occasional music review and article as a freelance writer. After years of frustration and numerous unsuccessful attempts at being published, Carl applies for a staff writing position at a New York music publication - Stardust Collections. Carl's first assignment is reporting on the Video Music Awards in Las Vegas which he reluctantly accepts. On assignment he witnesses the vagaries of modern commercial (video) music and interviews a rising ingénue named, Mia. Carl's article is formatted through the magazine's templates which leaves the aspiring writer disheartened with the industry. Carl's next assignment is an Americana Music Festival in Austin, Tx. Carl flies to Austin, skeptical of the Country & Western music scene. Upon arrival, he samples Austin's thriving arts, music and nightlife scene. After missing out on a Robert Plant performance, Carl stumbles across a concert by a tribute band - The Gambits Experience. Surprisingly, Carl is enraptured with the good-time party swamp music and the dedicated fans who dress up and thoroughly enjoy the music of the obscure and largely forgotten band, the Gambits.Carl is intrigued by this hillbilly music and what became of the Band so focuses the article on the Gambits instead of reporting on the Americana Festival, but information is difficult to find. His research takes him to Montgomery, Alabama where the Gambits recorded their legendary album - The Paradise Motel Soundtrack. Staying at Cara's Rooming House, Carl hatches an idea to mix his article with snippets of stream-of-consciousness poetry which does not go down well with the magazine. Carl falls in love with Brie, the Rooming House owner's daughter. He is taken in by the family who invite Carl to meet Brie's grandfather who has a copy of the Gambit's famous album. Carl learns the Paradise Motel still exists, so travels to Florida in an attempt to learn more. Living at the Paradise Motel is Niamh Mooney a local waitress who is grieving for her dead son. Carl is also haunted by the untimely death of his daughter a few years earlier and the subsequent failure of his marriage. Carl discovers the search for the Gambits and their enigmatic leader, Buddy Ripple is somehow linked to his healing process. When Niamh commits suicide, Carl heads for Louisiana after learning Buddy Ripple had Acadian ancestry. The search for Buddy Ripple proves fruitless but Carl falls in love with New Orleans and moves into a Hotel where he writes articles for a Blog he has created. His lifestyle is funded by an inheritance received from an old friend in East Orange. At the end of the novel, the last days of Buddy Ripple are recounted through memories of a time in musical history that can not be repeated. The themes of the novel are mixed with stories intertwining grief, lost love, hope, music, and nostalgia.