In the book, the concept of male social sexual identity is examined, both in its historical evolution and in its contemporary form, the "threat" it faces from the sexual liberation of homosexuality, as well as the homophobic phenomena that develop as a reaction to this threat.
"Identities" that once seemed categorical now appear fluid, relative, illegitimate. People are not exactly today what they were yesterday or what they will be tomorrow. Identities seem to be built around personal "narratives", stories that people tell each other in the various communities to which they belong. Individual identities are shaped within a constantly changing relationship between the self and the other, within rapidly changing social structures and meanings.