Jack Proctor, a celebrated older writer and curmudgeon, goes off to residency where he is to be an honoured part of teaching and giving public readings. However, he soon finds the atmosphere of the literary world has changed since his last foray into the public sphere. Even worse, Proctor’s tour of rural places, pubs, theatres and fancy parties – where he is to be headlining as a ‘Banker-Prize-Winning-Author’ – soon descends into a literary This is Spinal Tap.