"To lig." Verb - to gain something for nothing by wit and ingenuity. Young Gordon Shilling arrives in London in search of fame and fortune, only to find himself alone, penniless, and hungry. Plucked off the streets by the mysterious Eden Rothwell and initiated in the art of ligging, he begins a picaresque journey through the highlife and lowlife of the nation. Along the way such experts as the Lig of Gentlemen - Peter York, April Ashley, John Bull, Samuel Smiles and Machiavelli - show the hero how to help himself in self-help Britain.