On the morning of minister Charles Barrett’s death, his longtime co-minister and friend James MacNally mourns him in his study. Outside the door, his wife, Nan, sympathizes with him and wonders whether God will heal him emotionally, as she and her father always believed God would heal all emotional pain. Her mind then goes to Charles’s widow, Lily, whom she contemplates calling until she realizes that Lily will want to grieve alone. She notes the contrast between herself and Lily, realizing that the four’s life together has ended with Charles’s death.

Charles Barrett is the son of a strict Harvard professor and a fun-loving mother. He loves comic books and baseball but also books and knowledge. He attends Harvard with a major in medieval history and, with summer approaching, goes to the library to buy comic books for his cousins. There, he meets a serious young woman named Lily, with whom he becomes fascinated. He also takes a class by an unconventional but engaging man named Tom Adams, of whose untraditional teaching Charles’s father disapproves despite their similar aim of promoting excellence. Tom’s class challenges Charles and forces him to think about his studies more critically.