The autobiography of exhibition dancer and actor Thomas Allen Rector, from his birth to his enlistment, at the age of 36, in the Allied's cause upon the United States' involvement in World War One. The time was one of change and excitement. The Gay Nineties carried over into the turn of the century. New York was a whirlwind of social and artistic activity. Opera and theater stars were among the social elite. Vaudeville was at its peak. Hollywood was just beginning to get a grip on the country. Movie stars were just being born with the advent of silent films.