The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Livesey, Margot. The Boy in the Field. HarperCollins, 2020.

In Margot Livesey's novel The Boy in the Field, while walking home from school one day, Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan Lang are shocked to find a wounded boy in a field near their home. While they wait for help to arrive, they pontificate about what might have happened.

Through repeated discussions with Detective Hugh Price, they learn that the boy's name is Karel Lungst. Hitchhiking his way home from work, Karel was picked up by a man who lured him into the field, and knocked him unconscious so he could tell Karel his life's story.

In the weeks following, the family members begin to change. Matthew becomes obsessed with hunting down Karel's assailant. He returns to the field repeatedly, desperate to find some clue to the mystery. Though he does discover Karel's medallion, he decides against turning it in. Meanwhile, he continues visiting Detective Price. During each meeting, he asks if there is any new information about Karel's case. When the detective offers few answers, Matthew becomes involved with Karel's brother, Tomas. Tomas is angry because everyone in town thinks he is Karel's attacker. Not only does Tomas resemble the police's prime suspect, but has a history of violence. After Tomas's fiancé broke up with him, he blamed Karel, nearly choking his brother to death. Desperate to absolve himself, and resolve things with his brother and girlfriend, Tomas asks Matthew to help him find the real attacker. The two start collecting donations door-to-door, hoping to find the assailant opening one of the neighborhood doors.

Meanwhile, Zoe's fleeting connection with Karel inspires her eagerness to find a romantic relationship. She begins wandering the streets of Oxford observing all of the passing men. One day she encounters a handsome student named Rufus. The two connect quickly, and begin seeing each other often. Though Rufus says he cannot pursue a real relationship, Zoe remains undeterred. They become sexually involved, and Zoe is happy for a while. Then, when she discovers her father is having an affair, and that her youngest brother, Duncan, wants to find his birth mother, she feels her world dismantling. She leans on Rufus for support.

Duncan's desire to locate and reunite with his birth mother is inspired by a series of vivid dreams. He thinks she is sending him a message. When he asks Betsy for help, Betsy expresses hesitance. She wants Duncan to ask his father and siblings if they are okay with his plan. When he tells each of them he plans to find his birth mother, they all seem afraid, convinced he will abandon them for his real mother. He assures them he will not change, and that they are his family. While he waits for them to help him, he gets a dog, hoping she will ease his loneliness. When this does not work, he invests more time in his artwork. These endeavors do not quell his longings. Finally, Betsy helps him find his mother, Esmeray. Their conversation on the phone makes Duncan feel as if he has finally arrived after a long journey.

Suddenly, Zoe discovers that Rufus is already seeing another woman. Overcome by heartbreak, she tries distracting herself with school and work. Her mother is still able to notice how distraught she seems. During an intimate conversation about relationships, Zoe finally sees her mother for who she really is.

Not long before Christmas, the police discover who attacked Karel. At the town Christmas salon, each of the children talk to and connect with Karel. Esmeray surprises Duncan with a visit, Matthew realizes he wants to be a detective, and Rufus arrives, professing his love for Zoe.

Almost a decade later, Hal and Betsy have restored their relationship, and each of the children have created lives outside Oxfordshire. They all reunite at Duncan's degree show. He has created a series of paintings iterating the boy in the field.