Summary

Chapter 1:

This chapter introduces the novel’s main character, Jeremy Heldt, as he works at a local Video Hut. He lives with his father in a small Iowa town called Nevada, where it seems like everyone knows each other. While on his shift at the video store, Stephanie, a customer whose higher education intimidates Jeremy, brings to Jeremy’s attention that something is on the tape for the movie Targets. Jeremy does not understand what Stephanie is trying to say and ends up forgetting about her request that he tell Sarah Jane, the owner of the Video Hut.

Jeremy goes home, where his dad is fixing a rain gutter in preparation for the snow. The two have a quiet life together after Jeremy’s mother died in a car accident six years earlier, and they seem to be bonded under this...