Peter and Ivan attend their father's funeral, reuniting as estranged brothers who have little to say to one another.

Ivan meets Margaret Kearns, a woman who works at the arts center hosting his chess exhibition in Clogherkeen.

Ivan and Margaret have sex for the first time after he invites her into his holiday cottage.

Peter calls Ivan to reconnect after the funeral, and the brothers agree to meet for lunch.

Naomi is arrested during her eviction, and Peter goes to the police station to secure her release.

Peter invites Naomi to stay in his Dublin apartment after her eviction leaves her without housing.

Peter and Ivan meet for dinner, but Peter's contempt for Margaret's age causes Ivan to storm out furiously.

Ivan and Margaret declare their love for each other during a sexual encounter in Leitrim.

Peter and Sylvia share a sexual encounter, after which Peter impulsively asks Sylvia to marry him.

Peter breaks up with Naomi, declaring his love for Sylvia and offering to house Naomi in Kildare.

Peter and Ivan argue and then fight physically at the Koubek family house in Kildare.

Peter returns to his Dublin apartment to find Sylvia and Naomi waiting there together, and collapses.

Sylvia proposes that she, Peter, and Naomi enter an unconventional arrangement, allowing Peter to continue both relationships.

Peter, Naomi, and Sylvia settle into a shared domestic routine, with Peter and Naomi together by day and Peter with Sylvia in the evenings.

Ivan wins a chess norm, and Peter attends the competition, leading to a tearful reconciliation between the brothers.

In the wake of their father's death, Peter and Ivan Koubek reunite as estranged brothers with little to say to each other. Ivan begins a passionate secret relationship with Margaret, an older woman he meets at a chess exhibition, while Peter juggles an emotional entanglement with his ex-girlfriend Sylvia and a financially dependent younger girlfriend named Naomi. When Peter learns about Margaret's age during a dinner with Ivan, his contemptuous reaction causes a rift between the brothers that persists for months. Peter's emotional confusion leads him to a botched attempt at leaving Naomi for Sylvia, followed by a violent physical confrontation with Ivan at the family house in Kildare. Ultimately, Peter finds an unconventional arrangement with both Sylvia and Naomi, and travels to Ivan's chess competition where the brothers finally reconcile and make plans to move forward together.

Two brothers, two women, and a grief-driven unraveling.

Peter visits Naomi in the abandoned apartment building she informally occupies, days after his father's funeral.

Peter meets Sylvia for dinner, nostalgic about their college days, and asks to sleep on her couch.

Margaret drives Ivan to his workshop and asks him to keep their night together discreet.

Peter experiences suicidal thoughts at work, believing his death would benefit everyone in his life except Ivan.

Peter abruptly walks out of Naomi's apartment without saying goodbye when her friends make him feel out of place.

Peter goes to Sylvia's apartment late at night, where they kiss and tell each other they love each other.

Ivan cancels his planned lunch with Peter because he is with Margaret in Leitrim.

Margaret confides in Ivan about her husband Ricky's alcoholism and the possessive behavior it caused in their marriage.

Ivan beats his peer Colm in a friendly chess match and learns about an upcoming norm tournament.

Sylvia criticizes Peter for his hypocrisy, pointing out that his own relationship with Naomi has a comparable age gap.

Ivan blocks Peter's number, cutting off contact after Peter's insult about Margaret at their dinner.

Ivan retrieves his dog Alexei from Christine's house after discovering the animal has been poorly cared for.

Ivan arrives at the Kildare family house to collect his father's car and unexpectedly finds Naomi there.

Naomi reveals that Peter has spoken of Ivan as a genius but has never once mentioned Naomi to Ivan.

Peter waits outside Ivan's chess competition, where he introduces himself to Margaret and she intercedes on his behalf.

After the funeral, Peter visits Naomi in her precarious housing situation and then seeks emotional refuge with Sylvia, revealing the compartmentalized double life he leads. Margaret begins her secret relationship with Ivan carefully, asking him to be discreet, while Ivan navigates grief and financial anxiety through his work and his growing attachment to her. Peter's suicidal ideation surfaces during a difficult workday, and his inability to connect with Naomi's social world drives him repeatedly back to Sylvia's side. After Ivan cuts off contact following their falling out, Sylvia confronts Peter about his hypocrisy, pointing out that his own age gap with Naomi is just as pronounced as Ivan's with Margaret. Ivan retrieves his neglected dog Alexei from Christine's house and later travels to Kildare, where he discovers the full extent of Peter's hidden relationship with Naomi — and that Peter has kept her entirely secret from him. Their paths converge at Ivan's chess competition, where Peter meets Margaret for the first time and she steps in to help broker the brothers' reunion.

The quieter moments and hidden connections beneath the main story.

Ivan defeats all ten chess club members simultaneously at the Clogherkeen exhibition, impressing the entire room.

Peter feels out of place among Naomi's friends and reads her eviction court order for the first time.

Margaret visits her friend Anna after the chess event and reflects on how differently their adult lives have unfolded.

Ivan and Margaret spend a weekend at a rented cottage, where they deepen their bond and Ivan asks about her marriage.

Sylvia breaks down crying in Peter's presence and asks him to remember her as she was before her accident.

Naomi asks Peter which of his relationships he considers primary, but Peter deflects and condescends to her.

Margaret notices Peter Koubek's name in a newspaper article about a court trial and questions Ivan about it.

Ivan reveals to Margaret that Peter bullied him growing up and that he resents Peter for delivering their father's eulogy.

Peter forces his way into Sylvia's apartment when she calls in sick, finding her collapsed on the floor in pain.

Chess club captain Ollie Lyons tells Margaret he recently saw Ivan in town, unsettling her sense of secrecy.

Peter arrives drunk at the Kildare family house expecting Naomi, but finds Ivan and his dog Alexei instead.

Ivan calls Margaret after the fight and weeps, confessing he has been unable to accept his father's death.

Margaret's mother Bridget confronts Margaret about Ivan, blaming her for the family's troubles on Ricky's behalf.

Naomi confronts Peter about excluding her from his life, and they both confess that they love each other.

Ivan wins his chess norm at the competition, securing crucial progress toward achieving International Master status.

Ivan's dazzling chess performance in Clogherkeen sparks his connection with Margaret, even as Peter's growing alienation from Naomi's world and his emotional dependence on Sylvia begin to unravel his self-image. Margaret reflects on her stagnant life in Leitrim as she and Ivan deepen their bond over a weekend cottage stay, while Sylvia's emotional breakdown reveals the grief she carries about her changed body and the life she lost after her accident. Key revelations escalate tensions across every relationship: Margaret discovers Peter's identity through a newspaper, Ivan discloses his long-held resentments to Margaret, and Naomi forces Peter to confront how little access she has to his emotional life. After Peter arrives drunk at the Kildare house and the brothers' confrontation turns violent, Ivan breaks down on the phone with Margaret, finally confronting his unprocessed grief over his father's death. The novel's closing turning points see Naomi and Peter confess their love, Ivan claim his chess norm, and the brothers articulate their gratitude and respect for each other for the first time.