By most measures, Israeli writer Amos Oz represents an international success story. His thought-provoking novels, short stories, articles, and essays—translated into 45 languages—embody the conscience, conflicts, and complexities of Israeli society. Yet behind the curtain of fame lurked tragedy and profound loss. When he was 12 years old his mother committed suicide, and a year later his father abandoned the boy and moved to England to start a new life. Amos became a kibbutznik, a socialist, a defender of Palestinian rights, and a supporter of the two-state solution. Then late in life a daughter airs long-suppressed grievances and breaks off contact with him. Still later, facing terminal illness, Oz tells his last story in a series of recorded conversations with his latest biographer. She weaves these fragments together with biographical passages from his novels and conversations with family, friends, and colleagues.