The Great Game is a collection of eighteen short stories. The American West is supposed to be wild compared to the East. In Europe, it is the other way around. Lederer has lived in and writes about each of these places. He finds the differences are not as convenient as the myths. A hitchhiking trip across America. A drunk horse in California. A train from Berlin to Warsaw. Powerlessness among the rich. Innocence in New York City. Home. These are some of the themes explored in this book.