Summary

The novel’s events are narrated by the protagonist, Andrew, as he speaks about his life to his unnamed psychotherapist. In Chapter 1, Andrew, who is a cognitive scientist, begins the novel with a specific event from his past. After his second wife Briony died, Andrew felt that he could not raise their infant daughter on his own. He brought his daughter to the home of his ex-wife, Martha, in New Rochelle, New York, and asked Martha to take care of his daughter for him. Martha and her husband agreed to do so. Andrew then talks about an earlier incident; one day, his mind randomly conjured an image of a farm in western Pennsylvania. Andrew impulsively went to Pennsylvania and found a similar farmhouse with a broken screen door. Wanting to feel needed, he asked the residents if he could fix the door for them...