A girl grows up in a trailer park with her responsible sister, Caro, her free-spirited mother, and their dog, Blitzee. Her mother works as an usher at a playhouse. There she meets an actor named Neal and they begin an affair resulting in her divorce. She falls pregnant and Neal moves in with the family. Neal challenges policy decisions like Vietnam and the Atomic bomb. Caro is incredibly close with the family dog, Blitzee; she even brings him to school with her. One day, Blitzee falls into a nearby gravel pit filled with water. Caro jumps into save him and ultimately drowns. Just after her daughter's death, the mother gives birth to her baby, Brent. The protagonist feels responsible for not saving her sister. Neal abandons the broken family and his newborn son. Instead, the protagonist's father steps in to help raise her and Brent. Then, the story jumps forward into present day. We see the main character struggling to remember the details of her childhood. As an adult she works as a Professor at her alma mater and has a beloved partner. Neal finds her and writes to her. They met and discuss Caro's death. Neal urges her to forgive herself and be happy. He suggests that "tragedy lightens" yet the story ends on a dark note: she cannot escape the cycle of tragedy and guilt.