This book is a study of a general model for the progression of a person's life. The argument of the author is that a person's life is dominated and constructed around twelve archetypes. Each person can look at himself as a hero who is going out on a journey called life. First the person has to be prepared for the journey, then he or she goes out on the journey, and then the person returns from the journey and tries to reap the rewards of his or her experience. He or she can then look at what they have accomplished for humanity. The author objects to the current idea that only a few people in society are important, like the rich, the famous, or the talented. All people can be looked upon as heroes if they faithfully look at their ego, self, and soul and take up the challenge to develop their own individual life. Although the development of one's life can take on an infinite number of patterns, the author organizes the journey of a person's life in a general sense. These archetypes are not stereotypes, but both positive and negative constructions of a person's reaction to events and stages of life. For example, a child can react to the world as either a trusting Innocent, or as an abandoned Orphan.

The twelve archetypes are grouped into pairs around six stages of life: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, mid-life, maturity, and old age. They can be further classified around the stages of the journey of life into three groups: preparation, the journey, and the return. The book is largely informed by the views of practitioners of psychology in the tradition of Carl Jung and the Jungians, and heavily references other works and sources. The book ends with several chapters examining the relationship of the twelve archetypes to the age, gender, and culture of the person. Some archetypes affect some people for most of their lives, while others affect them for only a short portion of life. The relation of men and women to the archetypes is discussed, looking closely at the struggle of women to lead independent lives. Along with gender, the influence of people's culture and racial group is examined. This book can be looked at as a self-help book or a New Age type of personal guide. It is also a study of archetypes in literature and the thinking of society, both in the past and the present.