Part One of this story takes place in 1947. A troubled soldier, haunted from the war, meets his talented five-year-old nephew, leaves an indelible impression, and then disappears for twenty-three years. Cut to 1970: The nephew, now creating underground comic books in Oakland, California, reconnects with his uncle and, remembering a comic book he saw when he was five, draws a new version with his uncle as a World War II fighting hero.  Cut to present day: A commercially successful director discovers the 1970 comic book and decides to turn it into a contemporary superhero movie. Cue the cast: We meet the film’s egotistical male star, the driven leading lady, the eccentric writer/director, the producer, the gofer production assistant, and everyone else on both sides of the camera. Bonus material: Interspersed throughout are three comic books that are featured in the story—all written by Tom Hanks himself—including the comic book that becomes the official tie-in to this novel’s "major motion picture masterpiece."