Fitionalized account of Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. who stole or created fictional identities and worked in a variety of occupations, most quite successfully. He worked as a prison warden, impersonated a monk and was also a doctor aboard a Royal Canadian Navy warship where he was required to perform an appendectomy. His impersonations are more to allow himself to live different lives as opposed to making any kind of personal gain although he did get in trouble with the law as a result of his exploits.