Shortly after John Lennon's murder in 1980, Robert Rosen was given access to Lennon's personal journals chronicling the reclusive last five years of his life. Haunted by the journals, Rosen interviewed key figures from Lennon's final years, visited the important locations from his life story, and pieced together the historical record to interpret his personal reflections from the Dakota years.
The portrait that emerges is a life in turmoil, as Lennon vacillates between fame and reclusiveness, indulgence and asceticism. Each chapter offers a glimpse into different aspects of Lennon's life, including parenthood, drug use, his relationship with Yoko Ono, and esoteric and religious explorations.