The narrator, a man in his forties born in the UK, finds himself working undocumented in the US during the pandemic, doing menial jobs due to a lack of documentation. The story is set in the Spring of 2020, during the global lockdown. The narrator had previously contracted COVID and still suffers from its effects, feeling exhausted with severe aches and pains. He lacks health insurance and was evicted from his hostel when he tested positive, leading to him living in his car. His life is in turmoil, and he’s taken up a job delivering groceries.
One day, he arrives at a house in upstate New York to deliver groceries, and he encounters Alice, his first true love, at the gate. Alice recognizes him despite both wearing masks and offers him shelter in a cabin on the estate when he faints from exhaustion. She knows he’s unwell and can’t call an ambulance. Alice informs him that the estate owner, Greg, is strict about security, so he must stay indoors. She leaves food and drink outside his door, and he rests and recovers for over a week.
During this time, the narrator reflects on his past. He was born to an English mother out of wedlock, and his biological father was a Black British man. He grew up with a stepfather named Douglas, who was racist and bullied him throughout his childhood. He eventually moved in with his strict but loving grandmother, “Nan.” Despite his lack of sophistication, the narrator was a talented artist and got into an exclusive art school in London. He formed a close friendship with Rob, a working-class Mancunian artist, which was marked by both camaraderie and competition.
The narrator also recalls his intense but detached love affair with Alice, a Vietnamese French student of art history who introduced him to a different world. Their relationship spiraled into drug-fueled self-destruction, with the narrator disengaging and using Alice’s credit card to buy drugs while Alice wasted away. The relationship became squalid and destructive, ultimately leading to their separation. Alice transformed after the split, while Rob became her new partner.
Now, in the present, the narrator is in a guest cottage, and his old friends appear wealthy and healthy, while he is poor and in poor health. He meets Alice and Rob again, and Rob is hostile, suggesting that the narrator is an imposter or con artist. It is then revealed that the narrator is actually Jason Graham, a once-promising artist whose disappearance two decades ago is now the subject of a coffee table book.
The narrator shares his story over dinner, explaining that he gave up traditional art and embarked on a series of installations and performance pieces. The most famous among them is “Fugue,” in which he disappeared from a restaurant in Paris, only to reappear at the assigned spot in London two days later, having hitchhiked and sailed across the Channel. However, the final part of the performance involved giving up everything, including his possessions and identity, and living off the grid, which he has done for years. Now, his body is failing him, and he realizes it’s time to return to the world.
Marshal, Rob’s dealer and agent, is excited about the narrative and suggests finishing the “Fugue” as a groundbreaking artwork. The idea is to document the journey and photograph the narrator’s return. Meanwhile, the murder of George Floyd takes place, and Nicole, who is Black, is deeply affected. She decides to leave and take shelter with her grandmother in Manhattan.
Alice and the narrator spend time hashing over the past and making amends. The novel also delves into the complexities of the art world, with Rob struggling to sell his work and maintain his reputation due to a #MeToo scandal. Marshal commissions work from Rob, but he fails to deliver.
Events come to a head when Greg, the estate owner, plans to visit and see a painting by a famous dead artist that Marshal is selling on behalf of a client. Rob becomes distraught, locks himself in the studio with the painting, and threatens to destroy it with a gun. The police are called, and the narrator decides it’s time to leave, fearing his undocumented status and not wanting to get entangled in the situation. With Nicole, they drive away, leaving behind a troubled group of people.
The novel presents a compelling exploration of various characters’ experiences during the pandemic, revealing unexpected connections and shared histories. It also offers insights into the art world’s commodification and the complexities of artistic expression and fame. The characters, initially unsympathetic, gain depth as their stories are unveiled, making for a thought-provoking and unique narrative.