The book is divided into three parts. Slightly less than half of this book is devoted to the events in Justice Kennedy's life. Many of those events were national in nature and some were personal. These events included, for example: his time as a page in the California Senate, the time when Justice Kennedy’s home and his mother’s home was ransacked and vandalized and the detectives suspected the followers of Charles Manson, the death of President Kennedy, the great fire, the great earthquake, and the fact that, at age 41, he was the only surviving member of his childhood family. Both his parents had died of heart issues. His sister had died of cancer, and his brother had died in a surfing accident. The second part of the book includes Justice Kennedy's time teaching law school and being in private practice. The third part of the book discusses controversial cases and issues he faced and gives a glimpse of how he thinks about these issues and what factors most influenced his decisions. The book is written for people with no background in the law, such that things are explained, like 'how does the court of appeals differ from trial courts,' or 'what is senior status for judges,' etc.