"Fred Kaufmann, world-weary, disillusioned husband of tidy-minded, thoroughly competent Claudia, is bang in the middle of a classic midlife crisis. Long ago abandoning his dreams of being a celebrated film director - even he could see he didn't have what it takes - he settled for marriage to Claudia, the owner of a successful vegetarian take-away. But Claudia has sold out to a fast-food chain and now Fred finds himself adrift - materially successful, but spiritually dissatisfied.". "Claudia gets into Buddhism in a big way and finds a young guru, and the guru finds Franka - Fred and Claudia's teenage daughter - irresistible. So Fred sets out on a disastrous journey to the meditation centre in the South of France in a misguided attempt to wean Franka of her infatuation. His method? Exposing her and himself, of course, to large quantities of brown rice and some very serious meditation. It is a journey only a very special kind of hero could survive."--BOOK JACKET.