The Philosopher and the Golem traces a very rootless man's journey from obscurity to literary hero and back to obscurity again, and from love with a human to love with a mythological creature, a golem. Karl Pringle, a PhD student in Philosophy, seemed to have a burgeoning career in academia until he punches out his academic supervisor. Haunted by his actions, he roams aimlessly about the city until he receives a phone call that changes his life. That call leads him to a treasure trove of literary works that, in a quest to rid himself of the black cloud that plagues him, he passes off as his own. Literary success follows but his now perfect life, which includes a girlfriend, slowly begins to unravel. His downward spiral leads him to dabble in the paranormal, and he soon replaces his human girlfriend with a female golem, a creature brought forth by a rogue rabbi from the mud and clay of a river. The two embark on a life of debauchery, which includes robbing a bank. Karl continues to take greater risks until his sanity starts to slip terrifyingly out of control.