The novel begins with Everett puzzling over the concept of infinity and wondering how astronomers grapple with the concept before transitioning to a scene of him meeting a woman, Moira, at a dinner party. The two agree to meet at a museum to look at the Monets, which Everett is clear will blossom into an affair. The narrative returns to the contemplation of the universe and how many billions of years passed before the first being was born with free will.

Everett receives an email from Tom Pemberton, an Episcopalian priest that Everett wants to write about, answering questions about his life and a cross that was stolen from his church. The next section, titled “Heist,” begins Everett’s drafts of a detective story from Tom’s point of view, which will recur several times throughout the opening third of the book. In it, Tom walks around the waterfront, finding street vendors who are selling items stolen from his church while ruminating on New York and his own faith in a grizzled, hard-boiled style.

Everett meets up with Moira and they plan to begin an affair. As she leaves, he has a complex series of emotions, most notably regret.