""And as it was in the days of Noah . . .,"" Jesus said, that is the world the writer believes we are fast approaching and for which we must prepare ourselves. The hero, Japheth, is an ordinary person, who feels as if he is less than ordinary. He learns the meanings of failure and frustration and being forced to do things he otherwise would not do. Spiritual giants are not to be found here but people who often found themselves overwhelmed by temptations that they could have overcome but sometimes did not.