On the English coast, in Bournemouth, the aging writer Dencombe seeks peace to recover from an illness. He sits by the sea, holding his latest book, titled "The Middle Years," when he notices a young man, a private doctor to a countess, who is reading the same book. In a conversation with Dencombe, Dr. Hugh expresses his admiration for the author, without recognizing him, and without Dencombe revealing his identity. Until the exhausted Dencombe loses consciousness. When he awakens, the doctor knows who he is, and Dencombe reveals to him all his self-doubts, fears, and hopes for a fresh start, a second chance. "The Middle Years," first published in 1893, is the self-portrait of a writer as an aging man, one of Henry James' most intimate and moving stories, presented in a concise format.