It's the 1880s, and Marvellous Melbourne is a lavish and raucous city where anything could happen. There's nothing to stop eccentric entrepreneur, Edward William Cole, from building the sprawling Cole's Book Arcade and filling it with whatever amuses him, or supports his favourite causes. There's a giant squid, a brass band, pet monkeys, a black man whose skin has turned white, a Chinese Tea Salon, and of course, hundreds of thousands of books. When Edward decides to marry, he advertises for a wife in the newspaper, shocking and titillating the whole town. To everyone's surprise, he marries his newspaper bride, and the Arcade grows into a monumental success. But the 1890s depression hits Melbourne, and Edward, hard. The Arcade struggles financially, and the death of one of his children leaves him reeling. Grief, corruption and a beautiful, unscrupulous widow all threaten to derail his singular vision. But it's not until he visits Chinatown one night - and his own deeply suppressed past - that the idealist faces his toughest challenge of all. Utopian Man is the story of a man who lives life on his own terms, and leaves behind a remarkable legacy.
