Alvin Dubrow graduated at the top of his class from his college in Chicago and is still determining his next step. In college, he worked summers at the local newspaper, where his father worked when he was alive, but he passed away when Alvin was only seven. His coworkers expect him to continue as a journalist, and his mother pushes him to be successful. However, Alvin is still unsure of his wants and feels pressure from these outside voices. When Alvin turns twenty-one, he inherits two thousand dollars from his late grandfather, and he decides to spend it on a trip to France, where he will stay for a year studying. Alvin arrives in Paris knowing no one, but he at least studied French in school and speaks it well. Alvins spends his days alone, reading Proust and attending lectures at Sorbonne. While learning about great thinkers and the politics of revolution, Alvin can't help but wonder about their own future. America begins to feel dark and pessimistic compared to his thought-provoking studies and experiences in Paris. As he witnesses historic architecture, Alvin begins to think of the brevity of life and his own insignificance. He sees French people talking, arguing, and laughing in restaurants and cafes and wonders if they have the same thoughts and questions that he does. Alvin writes letters to his mother daily, and she responds quickly, but he soon begins to think of her as a burden. He realizes that one motivation for coming to Paris is to live alone. Still, he was not genuinely fulfilling this goal by being in close contact with his mother. Alvin then goes to visit some relatives near Strasbourg. At dinner, the family asks him about Paris, and he tells them how much he enjoys his studies. Alvin is intrigued by his cousin's responses. Marie is eighteen and asks about Paris with sadness and almost frustration. He wonders if she fantasizes about Paris and about falling in love. When Alvin returns to Paris, he learns that one of his professors has died. At first, Alvin feels nothing, but he soon realizes that he is in shock and remembers the same feeling when his father died. As he returns to his hotel, Alvin realizes he is almost twenty-three and has accomplished nothing.