The novel follows the emotional and physical development of protagonist Jeff Greene between his seventh and eighteenth years. His mother Melody leaves him and his father, whom he calls the Professor, when Jeff is in second grade. Melody leaves only a note, which tells Jeff she must leave him in order to save the world. Left in a small Baltimore flat with a father so emotionally crippled by Melody's behavior and departure that he can barely carry on a conversation, Jeff tries to emulate his father's attitude by pretending nothing matters to him either. He also tries to figure out how to be exactly what his father wants him to be, so that the Professor won't leave him too. When Jeff gets very sick three winters later, the Professor must call Melody to find out about Jeff's doctor. Melody invites Jeff to spend the summer with...