The narrator, Aria Tang West, is 13 years old in 2008 when she and her father, Matthew, spend the summer with his parents, Joan and Russ, in Woodacre, California. During this visit, Joan takes Aria to one of her art student’s shows in San Francisco.

Separated from Joan at the show, Aria engages in a conversation with a striking woman who asks her if she knows Joan. Aria indulges in the moment of this woman speaking to her like an adult and doesn’t acknowledge that Joan is her grandmother. The pair converses about Joan’s work, and Aria finds her half-truths exciting. When Joan arrives, Aria addresses her by her first name, which momentarily confuses Joan. Joan and the woman, an artist whom Joan addresses as Sarah, exchange kind pleasantries, and Joan then explains that Sarah is the featured artist of the show.

During Sarah’s welcome speech, she specifically thanks Joan for her mentorship. While the audience applauds Joan, Aria feels immense pride, thinking about how Joan is so much more than just her grandmother. Since then, Aria has called Joan by her first name, which Joan accepts with a good sense of humor.

Not long after Aria and Matthew return home to Wellesley, Massachusetts, that summer, Russ is diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer.