Summary

The story opens in 1917 in Carstairs, a small town in Alberta, Canada. Louisa is the local librarian. She lives in a long-term residency room at the Commercial Hotel. Louisa is originally from Toronto. One day, she receives a letter from a man named Jack Agnew. Jack is fighting overseas in the war. He writes that he used to borrow books from the Carstairs Library and that he appreciated Louisa’s work there, as the previous librarian was generally mean and disorganized. Louisa does not specifically remember Jack, but she and Jack begin a correspondence. Jack’s father works for the Doud family; the Douds own the piano factory that is the town’s main industry. In one letter, Jack writes that he has grown to like Louisa very much, and he requests a photograph of her. He also asks if she is married or...