When Sebastian Freeman sets off to Italy for his summer vacation, he is happy with his life. A chess prodigy with a near photographic memory, he has excelled in his final year of high school and is now ready to attend university, study law and, ultimately, take over his father's firm.
Everything changes in Italy, however, when he makes friends with a group of rebellious outsiders, falls in love with a beautiful but troubled artist and, for the first time in his life, begins to question the path his dad has laid out for him.
Through a series of escalating adventures and romantic twists, Sebastian ultimately discovers that he has been living other people's dreams instead of his own. What confronts him then is a decision: to live a life of security, social standing and ongoing paternal approval - or sacrifice everything for the unknown, for the chance to live a life devoted to his deepest passions, a life devoted to the person he now realizes he could become.
Themes
Love:
What is love? Is it nothing more than a chemical reaction in the body - pheromones?
Full Speed examines the nature of relationships, the constant battle between our need for security (we don't want our beloved to run off with someone else) and our desire for freedom (we want to be able to grow and enjoy life without being trapped or held back by a relationship).
Creativity:
What does it mean to be truly creative? Does knowledge get in the way or aid creativity?
Following the adventures of artists of many varieties, Full Speed digs deep into the nature of creativity - creativity in a world filled with imitation and unconscious influences.
Freedom:
What it is to be free? How can we be free from the pressures of our family, our friends and society at large? How can we find the strength to stay true to our inner guidance, to live a life of passion, to be the person we always dreamed we could become?