Once inseparable, Jim and Tommy meet again after more than thirty years. Jim, the high school student, grew up quite sheltered by his devout mother. Tommy lived with a foster father and worked in a sawmill. Now, Tommy has achieved prosperity in the finance industry, but he finds the job distasteful. Jim has become a librarian, but for the past year, he has been on sick leave and spends his time fishing by the river. In unforgettable scenes, Petterson portrays the friendship of the two men, their wives, their loneliness, their anger, and their defiance. The award-winning author from Norway tells the everyday story in an extraordinarily unique way.