 To illustrate happenstance, a woman narrates the story of how her parents met. It begins in a small apartment in Copenhagen, where a Danish poet worries that he ll run out of ideas. He loves the work of Sigrid Undset, so his psychiatrist suggests he visit her in Norway to talk about writing. He sets out, and there begins a tale of rain, romance, life trying no to imitate art, a slippery barn plank, a careless mailman, a hungry goat, a broken thumb, and a crowded train.