Jacques is a school teacher in the small village of Contulmo in Chile and a French translator for the local paper. He owes his passion for the French language to his Parisian father Pierre who, one year before, abruptly returned to France without a word of explanation. Jacques and his mother's sense of abandonment is made more acute by their isolation in this small community where few read or think. While Jacques finds distraction in a crush on his student's older sister, his preoccupation with his father's disappearance continues to haunt him. Then on a trip to the neighboring town of Angol, Jacques runs into his father pushing a one-year-old boy in a stroller. It becomes clear to Jacques that there are certain questions about the past that need answers.

Sensitive and heartwarming, Skármeta's novel spins a tale of forgiveness and second chances.