When Steve Lopez sees Nathaniel Ayers playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles' skid row, he finds it impossible to walk away. More than thirty years ago, Ayers was a promising student at Julliard - ambitious, charming and hugely talented - until he gradually lost his ability to function, overcome by schizophrenia. When Lopez finds him, Ayers is homeless and paranoid, but glimmers of his earlier brilliance are still there.

Over time, the two men form a bond, and Lopes imagines that he might be able to change Ayers' life. For each triumph, there is a crashing disappointment, yet neither man gives up. Their friendship will change both of their lives in ways that neither could predict.

Steve Lopez is the author of three novels, Third and Indiana, The Sunday Macaroni Club and In the Clear. He is also the author of Land of Giants, a collection of columns from his days at the Philadelphia Inquirer. a journalist for more than three decades, Lopez has won numerous national awards for his work at several publications, including Time magazine and the Los Angeles Times, where he is currently a columnist. Lopez has two adult sons and lives with his wife and their daughter in Los Angeles.