For decades Alice Otto has known every squatter and dweller on Elizabeth Street, and on most days she remembers their names—every Bart, Lila, Gerty, Michael, and Steve. Bart has written a book, stories about all of them, and Lila, long married, has moved overseas. Gerty is dead, Michael never left, and for a decade nobody has heard a thing from Steve.

When Steve unexpectedly returns to Elizabeth Street, Alice takes great comfort in the fact, and as their bond deepens very little stands in their way as they spiral together into hopelessness. Alice yearns for things remembered, unsure what will be forgotten next, and the line between fact and fiction grows murky as she clings more tightly to Bart Steyn's book.