Charles F. Goldie (1870-1947) is one of New Zealand's best-known artists, with a mystique surrounding his work. His fame has been fed by newspaper reports documenting record-shattering prices, thefts, vandalism, and forgeries.

The book explores Goldie's career: his early still-life paintings, his time as a student in Paris, his reign as Auckland's leading painter, his fall from critical favour, his descent into ill health, and his distinctive late-period paintings of the 1930s.