The narrative begins with a note from the author warning against finding symbolism in the text and an epigraph from “The Definition of Love,” a poem by the Cavalier poet Andrew Marvell. Protagonist Jayber Crow narrates from the first person his life story of being a barber in Port William, Kentucky from 1937 to 1969. The barber shop is called Jayber Crow’s or just Jayber’s by some. Jayber is still the town barber, but he no longer lives in the town. When Jayber came to town, the community was still emerging from the Great Depression. The barbershop is at the center of the town, and Jayber enjoys watching the town from inside. He keeps his prices low, and his bank is a cigar box. Jayber comes and goes as he pleases from the shop often staying away for several hours walking, fishing with Burley Coulter, or visiting neighbors. He tells of several humorous events he has witnessed from inside his shop. Once Grover Gibbs suctioned a plunger to the town mechanic Portly Jones’s head, and Fielding Berlew was almost run over by a truck.