Summary

Anna goes to her laboratory on her 49th birthday. She has been researching Huntington’s disease, an illness that gradually destroys the mind and body, for 24 years. However, Anna’s grant application has been rejected, and the committee calls her work basic. She goes to dinner with her best friend Francesa (Fran). Fran wonders what will happen to the families while Anna worries for her team. Anna says she has a year to finish her papers and try for another grant. Fran says Anna should become a doctor, but Anna hates interacting directly with people. Fran suggests traveling, but Anna says she will not go see her mother.

Four months later, Anna finishes her work and closes her lab. She feels trapped in Boston, as she has no husband or kids. Fran gives Anna information on a cabin for rent on an...