"Character is Destiny" explores the pains of growing up and loss, the nature of faith, and the horror and pity of war. Set between 1899 and 1988 against backdrops as diverse as Constantinople, Beirut and Brighton, it recounts the turbulent life of Dick Cooper, the author's father. Dick is both hero and anti-hero: rebellious, sensitive, naive, feisty, and compassionate with a real sympathy for others. We are introduced to Lucy, Dick's beautiful Moroccan nursemaid, who becomes a substitute mother figure and guardian angel; Arthur, his increasingly callous and embittered father; Maresca, the unscrupulous Legionnaire; the prostitute Laure, whom he takes to the opera instead of to bed; and the shy but witty Doris, who becomes his wife.