Leslie describes Paul’s deep love for dogs, particularly his dog Martha. “Martha My Dear” is an ode to this relationship.

Leslie depicts the Beatles’ work on Get Back. Although the White Album sold well, they needed to continue pursuing new projects like Get Back to maintain their reputation in the industry. In two weeks, John and Paul set out to write 14 new songs. They worked hard on the project but were aware that they might break up. Leslie quotes excerpts from their conversations recorded in Get Back sessions in which they explicitly discussed the group’s future. Tensions ran so high that George walked out of the session, announcing that he was quitting. (He later returned to the band.) Leslie argues that the Beatles’ bickering then was like that of siblings.

Leslie describes George’s historical frustration with John and Paul, particularly as it related to songwriting. George often brought his own songs to the band, but John and Paul rarely accepted them. According to Leslie, George’s frustration in the Get Back recordings wasn’t unfounded.

During this era, John and Paul wrote many songs about their longing for home. Leslie attributes the overlaps in their ideas to what Paul deemed “their ‘heightened awareness’ of each other’s mind” (282). He references another recorded conversation they had after George walked out. Instead of discussing George, they primarily discussed their own relationship. Leslie holds that their song “Two of Us” is evidence of their indelible bond.

After George rejoined the Beatles, they began working at their studio in the Apple building. Working with musician Billy Preston boosted their morale. John was in a better place but only contributed “Don’t Let Me Down” to these sessions. Meanwhile, Paul was trying to adjust to John’s intensifying relationship with Yoko. Leslie argues that the emotional energy he displays in “Don’t Let Me Down” is evidence of his heartbreak over John.

John and Paul worried about their future when their accountants at Apple resigned. They received several offers to buy Apple but needed guidance. Linda’s brother, John Eastman, began advising Paul, much to the other Beatles’ chagrin. They were working with Allen Klein, who John was particularly insistent on hiring as their new manager. Paul didn’t trust him and refused to sign his contract, which angered John. John believed Paul was too trusting of John Eastman, who represented the bourgeois he so disdained. George and Ringo sided with John and hired Klein without Paul. Soon after, John and Yoko married in Gibraltar. John and Paul produced John’s “The Ballad of John and Yoko” after the wedding, which Leslie holds is more about John and Paul than John and Yoko.

With Klein as the head of Apple, new tensions emerged between John and Paul. Paul felt that Klein was too pushy and again refused to sanction his involvement with Apple and the Beatles. John still felt that Paul was too much under Eastmans’ sway. Despite these tensions, the group was focused and productive as they worked on their final album, Abbey Road. One song, “Oh! Darling,” exemplifies John and Paul’s sustained bond.

Leslie continues to reflect on the Abbey Road songs. During one recording session, John announced that he was quitting the Beatles. In subsequent interviews, however, he showed signs of hesitation, insisting that his closest friends were the Beatles. Leslie holds that John didn’t know what he wanted and that the Beatles’ devolution was gradual rather than sudden.

After John left the group, Paul designed a questionnaire to field media questions about the Beatles’ future. The questionnaire infuriated John; he was angry that Paul seemed to be taking responsibility for breaking up the band when he wanted that right.

Leslie analyzes the song “The End” to understand the Beatles’ split. He describes the instrumentals and lyrics, musing on the melancholy mood.

The Beatles’ breakup led to complications for John and Paul. John was making Let It Be, while Paul couldn’t work with Apple because of tensions with Klein. In the early 1970s, John was also pursuing new forms of psychotherapy, including primal therapy with Arthur Janov. Leslie describes Janov’s methods and their negative effects on John.

After leaving John left Janov’s care, John and Yoko finished producing Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Leslie analyzes the songs. Each one captures a shift in John’s outlook on life. Meanwhile, Paul worked with John Eastman to formalize his split from the Beatles so that he could pursue new projects. John Eastman convinced him to sue the band. He publicly went on record saying the Beatles weren’t getting back together.