It’s 1989, and the doors Milo thought would open after college are all closed. Dumped by his girlfriend and deserted by his father, he washes up on the shores of Nantucket, where his transformation begins.

Milo outsmarts a preachy painter to earn the contract at the Our Island Home, a rest home where those at death’s door teach him how to knock on others. He also earns the affection of Julia, the home’s laundress, who has her own challenges, including a distant husband, a fortieth birthday, and an illness she can’t fight alone.

Through a series of misadventures, Milo matures with the summer, averting rival painters, proud nudists, serious crunchers, and death-by-crucifix. At summer’s end, he is faced with a decision that will complete his transformation and point the way to new beginnings.