Summary

In the year of 1910, a woman named Agnes Carter invites a Bohemian glassblower named Ignace Novak to Boston so that he can conduct creative work there. Agnes comes from a wealthy family and has unusual influence on the board of a university in Boston as a result. Ignace agrees to come to and develops a fragile friendship with Agnes, but Agnes marries another man who quickly proves to be abusive. When she returns from her honeymoon, Ignace has become a recluse. Agnes confronts Ignace about his lack of work, and he attributes his lack of focus to “madness.”

One day, while working in the field, Ignace accidentally kills a honeybee, then sets about taking meticulous notes on its anatomy. Later, he offers Agnes some pineapple, and explains that he has traveled the world in the past. Agnes’ husband begins treating her increasingly poorly and spending...