In this biography of American 20th century music and criticism, Anthony Tommasini, a music critic for "The New York Times", chronicles Virgil Thomson's life as a composer, critic and gay man. Tommasini portrays Thoman's upbringing, along with his struggle to accept his sexuality as he searched for a place in the world. In the 1920s Paris, Thomson studied with Nadia Boulanger and formed an artistic alliance with Gertrude Stein that resulted in the pioneering opera "Four Saints in Three Acts". Thomson displayed his talent for brilliant, biting commentary during his 14 years as chief music critic for the "International Herald Tribune" and became an arbiter of musical taste.