There are no adequate words to describe the behavior of a PTSD driven adrenaline junkie, using alcohol and success to self medicate. Nothing makes sense, and on the rare occasions that it does the other shoe soon drops.

Dirk will validate the warning given by an early career counselor, in particular that he will develop a pattern of not completing anything he starts. He does not complete his bachelors degree. Even he is eventually unable to explain away his resume' as following the computer industry up its promotional ladder.

What starts as a sexual trist on a business trip while engaged to Terry, progresses to infidelity while married to Julie, and then to out-of-control sexual debauchery. Dirk turns to Zambia, with crazy plans to open an alluvial tin mine as a cover for smuggling emeralds. Unfortunately his endeavors do not have the happy ending of a Wilbur Smith novel. South Africa bomb a southern terrorist base in Zambia and Dirk is lucky to escape with his life.

Dirk and Julie move to England, but the marriage is doomed by his undiagnosed and untreated alcoholism. He abandons the marriage and his children, unable to face admitting that he has acquired a viral STD, refusing to settle down, and having becoming involved in an affair with his sales assistant Joe.

Dirk remains one job ahead of his next firing, eventually landing the one job still available to people like him. He builds his own company called InSite Computer Technology. Circumstances intervene, and his contentious outspoken character is perfectly suited to Microsoft, who need someone to rock their customers boat, and who they can blame for the "not British" directness much needed to stall their big customers from turning to Lotus Notes.

Insite is saved from Dirk's financial mismanagement, when Verity, a Silicon Valley public company needs his relationship with Microsoft, aquires them. In a rare moment of financial prudence, Dirk uses the money to provide for his daughters education and to secure the family home in Coventry.

Dirk moves to Silicon Valley, where his alcoholism follows him. Three engagements and numerous partners later Dirk has lost all sense of relational integrity with the opposite sex. A close friend is defined as anyone who will drink with him in the bar. Verity tolerate his behavior as they do not want to lose his inside knowledge to the competition.

Verity's value rises with the financial boom, and Dirk's worth in close accord.  His daughters live a dual life of American opulence when visiting, and conservative middle-class for the rest of the year with their mother.

The only common denominator in the chaos he brings to all those who engage with him, is a systemic lowering of the moral standards by which he conducts himself.