The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Guanzon, Jakob. Abundance. Graywolf Press, 2021.

Jakob Guanzon's novel Abundance is written from the third person point of view. The novel possesses an atypical narrative structure, and employs both the past and present tenses. The following summary adheres to a linear structure, and relies upon the present tense.

When Henry is 15 years old, he is admitted to a rehabilitation center after combining alcohol and other drugs. Although Henry's near death experience was simply an attempt to garner attention, he is on suicide watch in the facility. During his stay there, he meets an enigmatic girl named Michelle. He is thrilled when she gives him her contact information on the day of his discharge.

When Henry's father picks him up, he gives him $20 for his sixteenth birthday. He tells Henry the money is meant for bus fare to his first job. He believes it is time for Henry to learn the value and importance of hard work.

After Henry gets his first paycheck, he feels empowered. He wants to use the money to take Michelle out on a real date. He is devastated and angry, therefore, when his father demands he give him the entirety of his earnings. In the morning, Henry feels guilty when he realizes his father has used the money to buy him a new truck.

Over the following years, Henry and Michelle establish a relationship and a life together. Everything is going well for Henry until his father dies. Though he inherits some life insurance money, he also inherits a wealth of debt from both his late parents' medical bills. He worries that the life he and Michelle are building will soon deteriorate. Michelle is also pregnant, and Henry worries about providing for his new family.

Then one night, Henry's old friend Al comes over with a business proposition. He wants Henry to help him smuggle drugs over the Canadian border. Despite the associated risks, Henry agrees. He thinks the money will help him keep his family safe and secure.

Though he makes $50,000 from one job with Al, only two months after the baby Junior's birth, Henry and Michelle have depleted their funds. Henry has repeatedly tried to contact Al without success. Then one night, Al shows up at the trailer. Henry agrees to go for a drive with Al. Henry realizes his friend is strung out. Then the cops pull the friends over. Because Al is high and his car is filled with contraband, he tells Henry to run. Before they can get away, the cops apprehend and arrest them. In order to reduce his sentence, the officer tells Henry he must cooperate. If he testifies against Al in court, they will change his sentence from life to 10 years. Henry takes the deal because he is worried about Michelle and Junior.

When he gets released from prison a few years later, he finds his domestic life altered. Michelle has been using drugs consistently. Junior is apprehensive about getting to know Henry, as he has no real memories of him. Over the next seven years, their family life grows increasingly fraught. Michelle continues using and is frequently absent from the home. Meanwhile, Henry tries to earn enough money and to care for his son. He frequently drinks to ease his anxieties. Then one night, he becomes so furious with Michelle, he hits her and kicks her out of the house. Not long later, Henry and Junior are evicted. They move into Henry's truck.

Eight months later, Henry takes Junior to McDonald's for his birthday. Though he cannot afford it, he buys his son a big dinner and then rents a motel room for the night. When he hits a neighboring motel guest with an iron out of self-protection, Henry knows he must flee. Back on the road, Henry panics about his interview the next day. In the morning, he forces Junior to go to school though he is ill.

Henry's interview goes well. He is so excited afterwards, he treats himself to a celebratory beer. Then he realizes he is late to pick up Junior from school. He finds Junior in the nurse's office. The nurse refuses to give him medicine and the principal threatens to call the police when Henry becomes aggressive.

Henry soon realizes the only way to help his son is to steal Advil from the local Walmart. Just as he is exiting the store, security guards stop Henry. They tackle and pin him to the ground. Henry watches the officer give his son the medicine, wishing that his story could end in a different way.