Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to depression, mental illness, and death by suicide as well as age-related cognitive decline and other health concerns that are depicted in the novel.

All winter, Agnes Lee has tried to write her latest novel but has generated no content. Still, she commits to a routine of writing for five hours by remaining at her desk. At 80, she’s most known for her 30 volumes of the When Nan children’s series, which she also illustrated. Agnes began another series (the Franklin Square novels) at age 24, which she publishes under the pseudonym Pauline Schulz. She keeps her identity secret, prompting much speculation about Pauline Schulz’s identity.

When her writing time is up, Agnes’s friend Polly Wiser arrives, eager for news that Agnes has to share. Agnes shows Polly a newspaper article about the son of an acquaintance. The son, Hamm Loose Jr, is building a condominium complex on the Maine peninsula at Fellowship Point, where Agnes and Polly own summer homes. Hamm’s plan to develop the peninsula angers both women; they’re certain it would disrupt the bird population of an area they call the Sanctuary (or “Sank”).