Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses pregnancy loss, mental health conditions, forced sedation, suicide, and sexual assault.

The first chapter is preceded by a typed magazine advertisement seeking a rare Edward VIII coin, dated May-June 1977.

It is 6:25 pm on Saturday, June 7th at the Rainsford House Hotel in Ireland. An old man, Maurice, addresses his son, Kevin, who lives in the States, in an internal monologue. Maurice waits in the hotel bar alone. The smell of the cleaning products reminds him of his family home growing up. Eventually, Emily, the hotel manager and owner, comes in to serve him. A big awards event is scheduled tonight, and an unknown VIP has booked the honeymoon suite—she jokingly warns Maurice to behave. Despite their friendliness, she is wary that something is going on when he asks her to join him later. He reassures her but privately finds her concern understandable, thinking about his unspecified past with the Dollards, which he never fully explained to his son or wife. Emily leaves him to be served a stout by

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