Harold Stein and his wife Natalie are about to board a flight when Harold has a vision of the plane crashing. He is determined not to board the flight, and punches his wife across her jaw to prevent her from boarding. When the plane actually crashes, Natalie interprets his violence as an act of love. Their family and friends are convinced that Harold is a psychic, and he is contacted by a psychologist, Dr. Ira Blume, who wants to test him for Extrasensory Perception (ESP). Initially, Harold is reluctant, but Blume is able to persuade him by asking him if he feels guilty. Harold does feel guilty - for surviving when the other passengers did not, for failing to warn them or save their lives. He writes a letter that he has been composing in his mind, apologising to the victims and offering them free shoes from his store, which is the most he thinks he can do. Blume continues to test him for ESP. The results are borderline inconclusive, but a reputation for being 'psychic' has attached itself to Harold. His friends don't want to play cards with him, his business partners want him to predict the fluctuation of the stock market, but Harold's 'knowing' only manifests in small ways. He loathes this about himself, wondering if he is cursed to live the future before everyone else - knowing that the knowledge is too heavy a burden to bear. He has a vision of his daughters as both adults and children, timelines and memories blurring until he mixes up past and present. His daughter, Edith, writes a shocking letter to them. All her correspondence thus far has been cordial, but she seems to have reached a breaking point and writes truthfully about her life - how her boyfriend broke up with her, how much she hates her job, and how she can barely make herself sleep or go out. This letter leaves Natalie shocked and pained, which is combined with two other revelations: their younger daughter Cheryl is going to Blume's house for a romantic date, and plans for the letter that Harold composed for the victims of the plane crash. When Natalie asks him not to send the letter, Harold agrees, knowing that he can at least share the letter with Edith, who would appreciate his new honesty.