The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Greengrass, Jessie. The High House. Scribner, 2022.

Jessie Greengrass's novel The High House is written from the first person points of view of the three main characters: Sally, Caro, and Pauly. Straddling the past and the present, the novel traces the characters' attempts to survive a devastating flood in extreme isolation. Although the novel toys with conventional notions of structure and form, the following summary employs the present tense and abides by a linear mode of explanation for the sake of clarity.

Sally grows up in a cottage in the village with her grandfather, Grandy. Sally learns to rely upon Grandy for everything. While he is a caretaker for many of the local homes and establishments, Grandy never neglects Sally's care.

Although Sally is attached to her grandfather, when she grows up, she leaves the village to attend university in the city. Grandy writes her frequent letters. Sally appreciates his notes, but has difficulty responding thoroughly or regularly.

Sally returns home to the village on a school holiday and is surprised to discover that Grandy has made a new friend: Francesca, the enigmatic scientist woman who owns the high house. The house is situated beyond the village, and is unique because of the particularities of its property in relation to the sea and the heath. Although Sally admires Francesca's work, she is skeptical of her in her person.

Not long after Sally returns to school following her break, Francesca calls to say that Grandy fell and broke his hip. On their drive to the hospital, Francesca asks Sally if she and Grandy will move into high house as she is going away. Sally reluctantly leaves the cottage behind and accepts Francesca's invitation.

Meanwhile, Francesca has a family in the city. She is married to Caro's father, with whom she has recently had a son, Pauly. Because Francesca is preoccupied with the rapidly worsening climate crisis, she is often away from her home and family. Father starts to join her ventures with more regularity, too, as he has similar passions. What Caro does not entirely understand is why Francesca has been spending so much time at high house, the property where they usually only go for holidays.

As Pauly grows up, Caro assumes more and more responsibility for him. Then one day, while their parents are away on the United States East Coast, Caro receives a frantic call from Father. He and Francesca have been caught in a violent storm. Convinced the storm will soon make its way overseas, he urges Caro and Pauly to flee the city for high house at once.

Although Caro and Pauly are surprised to find Grandy and Sally at the high house, Francesca assured Sally that her children would come when the time was right. Overcome by sorrow and despair, Caro locks herself in her room upon arrival. Sally takes care of Pauly until Caro is ready to emerge.

Over the course of the following weeks, the characters prepare for the coming storm. Through Sally, Caro learns that Francesca prepared high house as a refuge for them when the climatic disaster struck. When the rain starts, however, the characters are initially underwhelmed. However, after months of rain, the entire region is flooded.

The characters learn to rely upon one another for their survival. While they do make it through the storm, Grandy dies shortly thereafter. Sally, Caro, and Pauly continue to live at the high house. They are unsure how long they will be survive, but grateful for one another.