Seventeen years earlier, thirteen-year-old Percy travels from Toronto to her family’s newly bought cottage in Barry’s Bay. She is hot, bored, and self-conscious on the long drive, and the narration reveals that she is already lonely after a falling-out with her former friend Delilah. When Percy arrives, she is struck by the smell of the wood cabin and the lake view, explores the dock, and begins settling into the room her parents give her upstairs.

As Percy unpacks, the chapter shows her personality and isolation more clearly. She fills her room with books and horror imagery, revealing that stories have become both entertainment and a safe substitute for social confidence. That evening, her family drives into town for pizza, Percy takes in how small and quiet Barry’s Bay is, and the three of them end the night watching a movie while a thunderstorm rolls over the lake. The first day leaves Percy unexpectedly pleased with the place.

The next morning, after breakfast with her parents, Percy goes down to the dock alone with a book and sunscreen. She falls asleep in the sun and wakes to splashing and shouting from the neighboring raft, where two boys are swimming and roughhousing. The older boy calls out first, confirms that Percy is the new neighbor, and prompts his younger brother to say hello. Percy learns only that they are brothers, but the brief exchange breaks the silence of her first full day at the lake.

That evening, the brothers come to Percy’s cottage to introduce themselves properly. The older one, Charlie Florek, is fifteen, outgoing, and immediately at ease; the younger one, Sam, is Percy’s age and far more awkward. Charlie explains that he wants Sam occupied while his own friends come over, since their mother is out and Sam has no one nearby his age. Sam quietly admits that Charlie is really just trying to get rid of him.

Percy, who has been without friends for months and badly wants connection, chooses to say yes instead of rejecting the uncomfortable arrangement. She corrects Charlie on her name, insisting on Percy instead of Persephone, and begins to notice Sam more closely, especially his shy grin and startling blue eyes. Percy jokes that Sam can repay the favor by teaching her to do flips off the raft, and Sam smiles back, marking the beginning of the bond that will shape her summers.