Henry is perpetually puzzled, a state that's painful, but also comforting - if all he does is pursue his admittedly odd hobby, assembling bird skeletons, then he doesn't have to solve the deeper mysteries around him. He doesn't have to understand his brother, Dan's, obsession with running or relationship with his brilliant girlfriend, Rae. Or the long shadow that their father's early death has cast over them. Or how he ended up working at Ed's Garage, when he doesn't particularly like cars, An old woman, a Russian emigre, invites Henry in, and tells him stories - tales that take him further and further back in time. But when his mother's former employee Macie reappears, very pregnant, the tempo of Henry's life quickens in ways he never could have imagined.