Jean Serjeant is one hundred years old. In his novel, Julian Barnes portrays three different episodes from her life. He tells the story of the naive, lovable girl who enjoys a carefree youth in the countryside before World War II. As a mature woman experiencing a late pregnancy, Jean separates from her husband. This separation brings adventure into her everyday life. And finally, there is the old woman who, in 2020, after a fulfilled life, contemplates the final existential questions that arise for her like the glowing fireball of the sun.