While Abel Jones grew up, he wanted nothing more than to be an accomplished scholar. When he attends Harvard in 1966, however, he finds himself lonely and confused amongst a group of well-off white men with whom he has little in common. Abel finds his only comfort in having sex with various men in the bathroom of his university. He starts to fear that he is gay or a pervert, and visits a renowned psychiatrist during a semester break. The psychiatrist informs Abel that he is only confused, and that once he dates a woman all of his feelings for men will disappear. Abel eventually finds a woman, Daphne, who is educated and beautiful. Although Abel and Daphne become fast friends, Abel is unable to feel any sexual attraction towards Daphne, and spends the next few decades almost entirely alone, still unable to accept himself fully for who he is. Now, at the age of sixty-eight, Abel begins to teach at Lower Manhattan University, where he meets a young male student, Christian, who reminds him of himself. Abel and Christian enjoy a brief friendship, but this friendship is ruined after Abel attempts to kiss Christian, who becomes increasingly distant until he refuses to see Abel at all. In the end, Abel attempts to reach out to Christian once more but gets no response. As Abel nears the end of his life, he wonders if his life could have been more fulfilling had he not waited so long to pursue the real love he always wanted.