Vivien’s memoir begins at a train station. After visiting a friend named Martha, who has a terminal illness, Vivien notices a small child waiting by himself on the platform. The boy, Christopher, indicates that he is waiting for his mother. A man approaches them, claiming that he is there to take Christopher home. Christopher reiterates that he is expecting his mother, which makes Vivien suspicious of the man. The man carries Christopher away, and Vivien takes a picture of them with her camera to show to the police. She hides the camera under a car, forcing the man to put Christopher down to recover it. This gives Vivien the opportunity to run off with Christopher before calling the police to collect him and arrest the man.

Vivien is still in shock when she returns to Oxford. She forces herself to cry at the thought of Christopher and the man to purge her emotions. She turns her attention to an essay Martha wrote about Albert Camus, who lived in the troubled times that followed World War II. Later, Percy arrives home from a reunion with fellow musicians. Vivien tells him about Christopher. Percy commends her bravery. That night, she feels guilty about having an ongoing affair with Harry Kitchener.