An English Major from the States studying abroad at the University of York in 1963 buys a book, "To the Measures Fall," by Elton Wentworth, for an exorbitant price. She keeps it, unread, upon her return to the States. She works toward an English PhD and finally reads the Wentworth book one night. She's married now, and asks her husband his thoughts on the book, which she disagrees with. She sleeps with her thesis advisor. She becomes obsessed with the book and reads all the criticism on it. Noticing a signature in it that she thinks might be Winston Churchill's, she takes it to an antiquarian, who offers $50. She keeps the book. She quits academia for law school. Her marriage ends. She gets a job at a good law firm and remarries. One of her children, a daughter, loves to read. She worries about her burning out like she did and feels insecure. She becomes re-obsessed with the Wentworth book, as the author gets a surge of recognition in criticism. She gets the book appraised. It isn't Churchill's signature, and she's offered only $10. Historic events pass in a daze. She joins a book group and eventually suggests Wentworth. Most hate it; some are enthralled. She wants the book to be celebrated. She learns, two months before retirement, that she has a massive lung tumor in the same place as a character in the book. On her deathbed, her daughter brings her the book to read. This time, it seems to be about her life, elevating her life to the importance of the story.