This is a book of border crossings, exploring inner architectures of luminous vibrancy: the madness of a king who wants to be a swan, Michaelangelo chiselling a heart that beats into his David, Tsar Peter with his three pet dwarfs acting as generals in the army, Michael Jackson pretending he is Marcel Marceau as he woos Marlene Dietrich in Paris, and more stand-out characters from history.