The book is presented in two parts, Sir James Pearl, the Man, and Mount Pearl, the place; a biography of the man and the history of a place that has become his legacy.

In the first part the remarkable life of Pearl is presented. He spent almost 30 years at sea with the Royal Navy which provided him opportunities for adventure, heroism, and reward. His naval career started early in the 19th century when the Royal Navy dominated the seas and the defeat of the French and Spanish navies. He suddenly changed his life after those 30 years, married and established a farm on land that is now part of the City of Mount Pearl.

The second part of the book traces the history of Mount Pearl. Sir James Pearl picked the highest point of land west of St. John's for what he envisaged for a vast farming estate of 1000 acres. However, Governor Thomas Cochrane would only grant him one half that acreage. For 100 years the area was still a farming community but it began changing in the 1900s leading to incorporation of the Town of Mount Pearl - Glendale in 1955 and to recognition as the City of Mount Pearl in 1988.