In early September 1919, 18-year-old Icarus Pearlyard returns home from being aboard a strange "rescue" ship after his plans of becoming a sailor go wicked awry due to a hiccup of anxiety. His return home is whimsical until, a few weeks on, he begins to feel lost, and wonders if he is cracking up or cursed. In an attempt to find himself again, Icarus is launched into an introspective odyssey in this psychological roman-a-clef.