Virgil Wander lives in Greenstone, Minnesota, near Duluth on the north shore of Lake Superior. Virgil is in the hospital recuperating from a brain injury after driving his car off the road into the lake. He survived only because Marcus Jetty helped him escape the sinking vehicle. Dr. Koskinen warns Virgil that while he will likely regain his memories and speech, he may suffer some permanent damage. He encourages Virgil to find someone to stay with him during the recovery. Tom Beeman, who has a pet raccoon named Genghis, takes Virgil to the Empress Theater, where Virgil lives. The concussion makes Virgil nauseous, and they must stop for him to vomit. Virgil looks out across Lake Superior and sees a man in a black suit, but Tom doesn’t see him.

Virgil feels strange returning to his home, as if none of his items belong to him. He surmises, “The previous tenant was dead. Poor Virgil didn’t actually make it” (17). Virgil walks to the waterfront for comfort and meets Rune, smoking a pipe and holding a kite. Rune asks Virgil how long he’s lived in Greenstone, and Virgil says 25 years. Rune wonders if Virgil knows his son, but he doesn’t tell the name.