Miles Halter is a sixteen-year-old boy who is poised to leave his hometown in Florida to attend boarding school in Alabama. His mother has thrown him a going away party, but, despite her enthusiasm, Miles knows that it will be a washout. As he expected, there are only a couple of guests, but Miles is not disappointed—he is more concerned with the life that awaits him in Alabama. His father attended the same school, Culver Creek, which is partly the reason Miles chose it. More than this, though, Miles is motivated by the idea of a “Great Perhaps.” Miles has an interest in the last words of notable figures, and the last words attributed to the poet Francois Rabelais are “I go seeking a Great Perhaps.” As Miles explains to his parents, this is what he is seeking at Culver Creek.

Miles’s mother tries to help him out upon his arrival at Culver Creek by offering to make his bed. However, he is keen to embrace his newfound independence. He has read about the adventures enjoyed by figures such as John F. Kennedy and Humphrey Bogart at boarding school, and he hopes to follow in their footsteps.