Solomon Reed is an isolated teenager living in California. His mother is a dentist and his father builds movie sets. Their life would be utterly ordinary in a suburban way if not for Solomon’s reclusiveness. In middle school, Solomon had once undressed and dove into the fountain in front of his school. This shocking act prompted Solomon to convince himself and his parents that he could and would never leave the house again.

Solomon is so committed to his self-isolation that “by the time he turned sixteen, he hadn’t left the house in three years, two months, and one day” (3). Characterized as pale, barefoot, and sometimes lonely, seclusion is Solomon’s method of controlling his life and avoiding chaos. In remembering the incident at the fountain, Solomon “realized what he had to do. Take away the things that make you panic and you won’t panic” (4).

Initially, Solomon’s family tries to convince him to go back to school, to no avail. Solomon sees his isolation as “living instead of dying. Some people get cancer. Some people get crazy. Nobody tries to take the chemo away” (4). Solomon’s parents are loving and supportive of him, but from overheard conversations Solomon knows that his parents are worried they’ll have him in the house for forever.