Summary

Chapter I consists of narration stating that “nothing matters…so nothing is worth doing” (1).

Chapter II takes place on the first day of the school year in August. A student named Pierre Anthon announces to the class that “nothing matters…so nothing’s worth doing,” and walks out of the classroom (5). The narrator feels “scared” (5). The narrator describes the town they live in, called Tæring. They also describe how what Pierre says about the world may be true. Pierre sits in a plum tree outside of his house, talking about how nothing matters. His parents are seemingly from a commune, and the other adults in their community talk about how they live like they are still stuck in 1968. The children parrot that line of thinking even though none of them actually know what it means.

In chapter III, the narrator and other...