Hope Jahren, the author of the memoir, grows up in Minnesota where she is the daughter of a science professor. She spends many evenings in her father’s lab, captivated by the equipment. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from University of Minnesota, she goes on to earna Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley. While at Berkeley, she meets Bill Hagopian, who becomes her friend and lab partner throughout her career.

Jahren receives a professorship from the University of Georgia in 1996 and builds her first laboratory on campus with Bill’s help. She throws herself into her work but doesn’t receive funding for her grant proposals. While in Georgia, she suffers from manic-depressive disorder. She does not seek help for her condition until she accepts a job at Johns Hopkins in 1999. She and Bill build a new lab there, and Jahren’s health improves. She meets her future husband Clint in D.C. and convinces him to move in with her after a few weeks of dating. They marry while on a trip to Norway. Jahren endures a difficult pregnancy, which results in a healthy son.

Jahren goes on to gain success in her career and receives funding from numerous foundations. She eventually accepts a job at the University of Hawaii, where she currently resides with her family and Bill.