The novel begins with the narrator, Lowen Ashleigh, witnessing the brutal death of a man on a New York City street. Lowen sees the man hit by a truck and stumbles away from the scene covered in blood. A concerned stranger named Jeremy Crawford stops her and ushers her into a nearby bathroom to clean up. He gives Lowen his shirt to wear. Lowen feels an instant connection to Jeremy. They both divulge their experiences with grief: Jeremy’s daughter drowned five months ago, and Lowen’s mother passed from cancer the previous week. Lowen served as her mother’s primary caregiver for the past year. As they exit the bathroom, Lowen notices a wedding ring on Jeremy’s finger. Lowen prepares for her meeting in 15 minutes with her publisher.

Lowen received notice about the meeting with her publisher the previous night from her literary agent and former lover, Corey. Lowen contemplates her difficulty with forging relationships with other people. She attributes this to her mother’s isolation of her “because she was afraid of what I might be capable of during my many sleepwalking episodes” (12). Lowen unveils that she is behind on her rent and needs to sign this potential new deal with her publisher for the money.