The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Buckley, Jonathan. One Boat. Fitzcarraldo, 2025. Kindle AZW file.

Teresa recalls her first visit to a Greek town nine years earlier, shortly after her mother’s death. She chose the town because it matched an imagined scenario. Her notebook from that visit describes her hotel room and messages from her ex, Tom, but omits mention of her mother or meeting a local named Petros. Now, after her father’s death, she has returned to the town and begun writing again. In the present, Teresa revisits places from her first trip, including a café now run by Xanthe, who remembers her. Xanthe updates her on locals: Niko is married with a child, and Petros, still in town, has self-published a poetry book. Teresa buys a copy.

Teresa recalls meeting an American, John, during her first visit. He shared the story of his sister Judith: after her son Gareth was killed in a fight, she later died by suicide. The attacker, Stephen Stanton, served two years for manslaughter because it was judged that the punch which killed Gareth had not been intended to kill him. In the present, Teresa sits where John once told her this story, remembering him and reflecting on her mother’s mathematics, her father leaving, and her husband Tom’s infidelity.

During her first visit, Teresa met Niko, a diving instructor. In the present, she runs into him again, and they arrange to meet. She recalls her last meeting with John, who revealed he had found Gareth’s killer, Stephen Stanton, living in the town, and was planning revenge. Teresa argued against it; John remained undecided.

In the present, Teresa visits Petros, the mechanic, who remembers her but is distant. He declines dinner but suggests they might meet later. She recalls first meeting him through his dog, Sander, and discussing whether animals have souls. Now, Teresa asks Xanthe to translate Petros’s poems. Though Xanthe mocks them as simplistic, Teresa values them. Petros approaches with his new dog, Kal. Teresa praises his poetry; Petros downplays it but is glad she appreciates it. They agree to meet again before she leaves.

On her first trip, Teresa ignored another message from her ex Tom, then went diving with Niko. They connected, and later she went to his home, beginning a brief sexual relationship that lasted her remaining nights in the town. When she left, they agreed it had been meaningful but would not continue.

Teresa meets Niko in the present. He recalls her past visit after her mother’s death. He tells her that Petros once suffered a severe head injury, officially explained as a fall but suspected as an assault. Afterward, Petros became more introspective and began writing poetry.

On her first trip, Teresa climbed to a fortress at sunrise and had a powerful experience, realizing her mother had been ready for death and that life exists only in the present. Later, her ex-husband Tom wrote asking for reconciliation, but she refused.

In the present, Teresa searches for Petros and recalls a court case she observed as a teenager that shaped her decision to study contracts law instead of criminal law. She concluded no one is entirely responsible for their actions, a belief she wishes to share with Petros. Later, she repeats the climb to the fortress, hoping for another revelation like before, but experiences nothing, reflecting that “the way up and the way down are not the same” (106).

Teresa meets Petros and tells him about the court case that shaped her career. They debate guilt and responsibility: Teresa argues for condemning the offence, while Petros insists on personal accountability, citing his brother Paul’s criminal past. She asks about his head injury, but he repeats it was an accident. Unbeknownst to Petros, Teresa knows that his real name is Stephen Stanton and that he was attacked by John in revenge for the death of Gareth. Teresa does not reveal this knowledge to Petros, who continues to insist that his injury was an accident not an assault. Teresa reflects on memory and identity, imagining her mind as a hall of mirrors. Petros does not follow her reasoning, and they part. On her last day, Teresa says goodbye to Xanthe, and observes the townspeople, describing herself as at “the threshold of the past and the future” (146). She leaves for Athens.

In the final chapter, in the present tense, Teresa visits a prison to speak with inmates, a role that worries her partner Patrick. He critiques her notebooks about Greece, suggesting more focus on John, Petros, and the theme of fathers, and advises shaping the story as a quest with clearer momentum. Teresa privately feels their relationship will soon end but outwardly agrees with him.