The narrative begins with Junger describing the onset of severe abdominal pain. He started to feel these symptoms in September, when his eldest daughter Zana was two and a half years old. The pain was sudden and burning, located below his sternum, prompting Junger to think, “This is the kind of pain where you later find out you’re going to die” (13). Despite its intensity, Junger initially ignored it, as he had done with other physical ailments in the past. The pain persisted for months, coinciding with the birth of his younger daughter and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the pandemic, Junger moved his family to a remote property on Cape Cod. He describes their house, which was originally built in 1800. It was situated at the end of a dirt road surrounded by pine forests, and the property included an organic farm. Junger provides background on the property’s previous owner, Waldo Frank, a socialist writer with connections to various social and political movements of the twentieth century. He mentions that “radicals” had long sought refuge in the area to avoid federal scrutiny. Junger also details his family’s daily life at their new home, including cutting firewood and protecting chickens from predators.