It is summer, 1988. Young Samuel, an only child, is overly sensitive (“stupidly fragile,” [87] his mother thinks). He cries for long periods of time for no reason. He has few friends and spends most his time in his room pouring over his favorite adventure books, a series in which readers make decisions about how the story will unfold. His father, Henry, is seldom at home. He is an executive for an agro-industrial company that specializes in developing cutting-edge frozen meals.

Homelife is often tense. Whenever his parents edge toward arguments, Samuel seeks refuge in the nearby woods. There he meets another boy, Bishop Fall, a tough kid reputed to be a bully. Samuel is intimidated (the boy’s eyes seem “impenetrable and dead” [93]). Oddly, the two hit it off, Bishop promising to toughen Samuel up. Bishop is known primarily for being kicked out of a local prestigious Catholic academy. Bishop invites Samuel to visit the swanky home where the Fall family lives. There, Samuel first meets Bishop’s twin sister Bethany, who is practicing her violin. Samuel is immediately smitten: “He didn’t know this then, but this would become the template for beauty for the rest of his life” (103).