Prior to Chapter 1, a Preface shows Jeremy and Lizzy on a rock in the middle of a lake right before Jeremy opens the box. Chapter 1 picks up on the first day of summer vacation. Jeremy and Lizzy are at his uncle’s store, which belonged to Jeremy’s father before he died. Lizzy steals a flyer for an upcoming comic book, and the two head back to their apartment building, where there’s a package from a lawyer for Jeremy’s mom. Jeremy and Lizzy open it and find a wooden box with four keyholes and the words “THE MEANING OF LIFE: FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13TH BIRTHDAY” engraved across the top (13). There’s also a letter from the lawyer, explaining that the box is from Jeremy’s dad and the keys were lost.

Feeling lightheaded, Jeremy recaps everything he knows about the box so far—that his dad left it for him, his mom never told him about it, and the keys to open the box are missing. When Jeremy’s mom gets home, she’s not angry that Jeremy opened the package.