Quentin Fournier, a disinherited New Orleans wanderer, signs up for work on the Panama Canal in 1904. His skills in giving pleasure to other men soon become legendary. Written in 1957, the novella is surprisingly modern in its graphic descriptions of male sexuality. Quentin locates men who are anatomically blessed to the point of a curse. When Quentin breaks the spell, it is explosive.This early work of erotic fiction was written by the author in the summer of 1957. The story draws partly from his early memories of Panama, when his father moved the family to the Culebra Cut. Penis size was an obsession for Peter.

Enduring pain for another's pleasure is the overarching theme of this work, whereby the act of giving oneself to another is the goal, not the orgasms, which are mere side effects. Peter himself had a reputation for being extraordinarily well endowed. In this story, the narrative focuses on Quentin Fournier, a man with a less than average endowment. Friends remarked that Peter lost many potential love interests because of his large penis. Dale Clark, who appears later in the story, is likely a narrative self portrait of the author. Sadly, no one like Quentin could be identified in Peter's life. The anatomically compatible couple living out their years together in San Francisco at the end of the story was pure fiction. Peter never found a lasting love.