This is a story of fathers and sons. John Ames, the narrator, tells a story of three generations of fathers named John Ames, addressing it to the single direct descendent, the unnamed son readers may assume is the fourth John Ames. The story of the Ames family includes the story of the narrator's best friend, Robert Boughton, and his son who was named after the narrator, John Ames Boughton. In order to reduce confusion, these characters are referred to here in terms of their relationship to the narrator, that is, the narrator's grandfather, the narrator's father, and the narrator's son, to whom the narrator addresses himself in this text. As in the novel, Reverend Boughton's son is referred to by his nickname, Jack.