Over the course of one year, a woman in an unnamed city, in the middle of her life's journey, realizes that she's lost her way. The city acts as a companion, but this widow is ill at ease with family, friends, and "him"—a shadow who can also console her. One day at the sea, both overwhelmed and replenished by the sun's vital heat, the woman's life will abruptly change. The author of The Interpreter of Maladies originally wrote this "elegant, subtle" novel (Kirkus Reviews) in Italian, and translated it into English herself.

"[This book] signals a new mode for Lahiri, and a daring transformation . . . It feels true and wise to the core."—LATimes