A man named Jeff recalls a breakdown a kid in his class, named Allen, had in the seventh grade. Allen had a revelation that everyone has the same kind of static in their heads--their minds flitting between thoughts, unable to fully focus on any one thing. After Allen had to be carried, screaming, from class, the other kids shunned him but Jeff became his chess buddy later. Allen would always win. One day, Allen told Jeff about his revelation that day. He was obsessed with finding ways to get rid of the static. Allen left to go to Harvard, then to Harvard medical school.

Years later, Jeff and his wife, Karen, run into Allen at their 25th high school reunion. Allen convinces them to come by his lab to see a breakthrough--a young chess prodigy named Lucy who has erased the static from her mind to focus unilaterally on chess. When she plays, she puts two fingers in her mouth to focus. Jeff is rude to Allen. When Karen asks why, he admits he may be jealous.

Allen calls Jeff a number of times, only ranting at him with lack of social awareness about how long the FDA is taking to approve his studies. Jeff invites him for dinner one night and he is rude and gross, slobbering over his food and glass, which Karen cleans as the two play chess.

Time passes, Jeff avoids Allen's calls, he and Karen's marriage becomes strained and they go to counseling. One day, Jeff answers a call from Allen, who says Lucy has "disappeared" and he has to come. Jeff gets there to find Lucy is still there, but Allen explains her MIND is disappearing--the white matter in her brain, which creates the static by allowing connections between thoughts, is disappearing. Jeff throws Lucy's chess board out of the room and she continues playing in her head without pause. It's at this point that Jeff realizes Allen won't talk about anything other than his research. He begins to realize Allen has whatever Lucy has, and assumes Allen used a chemical he'd concocted on himself without FDA approval. He interprets Allen's calling him as a last ditch attempt to maintain a connection with the world outside of his obsessive research.

Karen becomes obsessed with her garden. She stops agreeing to attend marriage counseling. One day, Jeff asks her if she still loves him and she asks him to pass her a trowel. She won't talk about anything but gardening. He thinks about Lucy's fingers in her mouth, touching the chess pieces, and about Karen cleaning up Allen's slobbered-on dishes. He realizes his wife has it, too.

Jeff notices himself becoming obsessed with walking, timing himself and investigating transcontinental walking routes. He tries to appreciate every stray thought that enters his mind, embracing the static, because he doesn't know how long he has left.