He could outrun anybody, and he never missed a day of school. He saved lives. Animals loved him, people loved him, women loved him. And he knew more jokes than any man alive. In his prime, Edward Bloom was an extraordinary man. There wasn't anything he couldn't do. At least that's what he told his son, William, who, faced with his father's imminent death, is desperate to discover who the man really was. Inspired by the few facts he knows, William re-creates his elusive father's life in a series of legends and myths. He begins to understand Edward Bloom's great feats -- and great failings. And he finds a way to say goodbye.