When the author's desire to join the clergy was rejected in 1987 by the Bishop of Oxford, he set out to learn humility by living in Spitalfields. This autobiography describes his quest for identity, history and vocation in the East End of London. Local characters include the artists Gilbert and George, and the author reveals how he lived, worked and got along with very different groups of people, including market traders, "new Georgians" and Brick Lane Muslims.