A classic in the old, noble sense of the word, this novel tells the story of a man's whole life, from schoolboy to his death at eighty-five. This full-depth portrait of a rector-headmaster- founder of a New England Episcopal boys' school is a significant inside view of the world it describes. The Rector is seen from many sides and through a variety of people—in his private and public life.

This is considered by many Auchincloss' most ambitious novel and greatest achievement.