What does it mean to be a decent man? To love well, with fidelity and constancy? These are the lessons that Jake's father, a wildlife biologist, tries to impart to his son, often on fishing trips to their beloved Furnace Creek. Bound up in the laws of Einstein's theories, these lessons will ultimately influence Jake's own career as an astronomer. Out on the creek, both father and son conquer their greatest challenges: marital infidelity, professional setbacks, and Jake's long term, passionate obsession with his childhood crush.

The Constant Heart is a potent, and moving book that...