William is the younger brother to Clive, a math genius, oddball, who communicates in an incomprehensible language (which turns out to be Hungarian). It is the spring of 1973, “the year everything changed in [their] family” (63). The family notices that Clive is unlike other kids at school and thus “always suspected there was something wrong with Clive, but [their] suspicions were muddled, especially in those days, by his brilliance” (65). Kids at school beat Clive up for being different, although the family cannot understand the cause of his difference. Meanwhile, the boys’ parents, who come from conservative Jewish stock, convert and become peace-toting Quakers to adapt to the changing world around them. Although the boys’ father Simon served in the navy in World War II, he invites them to a ritual ceremony where he throws his old service revolver into the river; however, William still refers to him as “captain,” and he refers to William as “sailor” (93).

Clive teases William about having ordinary abilities compared to his own, and their father pretends he is okay with William having an unimpressive report card. While the parents accept that the two brothers are different, they insist that William attends Clive’s math tournaments.