An unnamed student lives with his uncle in Dublin, Ireland while attending the university to study the Gaelic language. As he eats a meal, the student thinks about the nature of stories. He believes that “a good book may have three openings entirely dissimilar and inter-related” (4), and he provides three examples of introductions to novels.

In the first example, a supernatural being and “member of the devil class” (4) named Pooka MacPhellimey sits in a cabin alone and thinks about mathematics. In the second, a man named John Furriskey is born at the age of 25 with memories of childhood but no actual experiences. In the third, the legendary Irish folk hero Finn Mac Cool is a “man of superb physique and development” (4) though not particularly intelligent.

The student ruminates on his situation. He sits at the dinner table and considers his uncle, who often criticizes him for being lazy and withdrawn. The student prefers a “contemplative life” (5) that allows him to spend most of his day locked in his room, thinking and smoking without anyone to disturb him. His uncle disapproves of the type of “studying” (6) the student does in his bedroom.