The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Garnus, Bonnie. Lessons in Chemistry. Doubleday Canada, 2022.

Elizabeth Zott hosts a popular television show, Supper at Six. She used to be a chemist at Hastings Research Institute, where she met her soulmate: Calvin Evans. The two met one day when Elizabeth stormed into his lab to steal beakers. Their boss, Dr. Donatti, does not respect Elizabeth’s work and often hinders her research. Calvin wrongfully assumed Elizabeth was someone’s secretary, which enraged her.

They met again in the theatre lobby when Calvin vomited on her. After that, they kept running into each other. Both felt a connection, but neither acted on it until Elizabeth kissed him one afternoon in the parking lot of their work. They started dating and soon moved in together. Calvin encouraged Elizabeth to start rowing. They share their family histories. Elizabeth had a brother who committed suicide. Calvin’s adoptive parents died. He was sent to a Catholic boys’ school. Calvin always suspected the school’s mysterious donor, Mr. Wilson, was his father. Calvin had a pen pal named Wakely, who stopped writing to him once Calvin told him how much he hates his father.

Calvin proposed to Elizabeth one day in the cafeteria at work. She turned him down, explaining that she is against marriage. He suggested they adopt a dog instead. They found one on the street one night at six-thirty and decided to name the dog after the time.

Calvin died one morning while on a run with Six-Thirty. Elizabeth had bought a dog leash because of a new law. The leash got caught under a backfiring police car, which ran Calvin over. Elizabeth learned she was pregnant shortly after. She gets fired for this. Miss Frask, a personnel employee, is partially responsible for this.

Elizabeth decides to raise her baby, Madeline, on her own. Her neighbor, Harriet, often babysits. Harriet is in an abusive marriage. Dr. Mason—Elizabeth’s doctor and Calvin’s old friend—encourages Elizabeth to start rowing again.

Out of desperation, Elizabeth returns to Hastings Institute. Donatti is relieved since Elizabeth has an anonymous donor funding her project. She quits once Donatti publishes her research under his name. She learns from Miss Frask that she has a donor. Both Elizabeth and Miss Frask never got their PhDs because they were raped by their thesis advisors.

Elizabeth is furious when she learns that Harriet’s classmate, Amanda Pine, is eating all of Harriet’s lunches. She storms into Walter Pine’s office one day to complain about this. Walter is a television producer. He is struck by Elizabeth’s beauty and spunky personality. He calls her shortly after to offer her the job of a cooking show host. Elizabeth takes it for the pay.

Elizabeth takes her new job seriously. From the first day, she treats the show as an opportunity to educate women about chemistry. The show becomes a hit. Elizabeth is unapologetically herself. She receives backlash when people learn she is unmarried and an atheist. One day, Phil Lebensmal—Walter’s boss—summons her to his office to reprimand her. When he tries to rape her, Elizabeth pulls a knife out of her bag. He gets a heart attack.

Walter takes Lebensmal’s job. The show flourishes. Meanwhile, Madeline befriends a man she meets at the library: Reverend Wakely, her father’s old pen pal. Wakely helps Madeline complete her family tree project and even writes to Calvin’s old school to try to learn about his birth parents. Madeline includes the Parker Foundation—the school’s main donor—on her family tree. Wakely helps her mail the project to the foundation.

Roth, a writer for Life Magazine, interviews Elizabeth. He is deeply moved by her life story and writes a favorable article about her. An unfavorable one gets published instead, highlighting Elizabeth’s looks and ignoring her scientific achievements. Roth quits his job and sends Elizabeth the original article he wrote. Harriet decides to submit it to Vogue, who publishes it.

One evening, Elizabeth arrives at Walter’s house only to find Harriet there. She learns that her two friends are in a secret relationship. They all hug and cry when she announces that she wants to quit the show.

Elizabeth’s last episode is a success. Unfortunately, she receives no job offers in the scientific field. Miss Frask eventually calls her to summon her back to Hastings; the donor wants to meet Elizabeth. Elizabeth meets Avery Parker and her lawyer, Mr. Wilson. Elizabeth learns that Avery is Calvin’s birth mother. His father died of tuberculosis. Avery was forced to give her child up when she had an unplanned pregnancy. She was told her child was stillborn. She learned later that Calvin was given up for adoption. Mr. Wilson investigated the Catholic school, but he was informed by the bishop that Calvin died as a child. The bishop wanted to extract funds from them for the school. Avery realized her son was alive when she saw him on the cover of Chemistry Today. She wrote him several letters but never heard back. She is devastated that she never got to know her son but wants to be in Elizabeth’s life. Elizabeth reassures her that they are family already. Avery fires Donatti and instates Elizabeth as Director of Chemistry.