As Penelope faces the end of her life, she reflects on the people and events that shaped her life. For Penelope, relationships are what she considers most often, including the relationship she saw between her parents as well as her own relationship with each of them. Additionally, she recalls the nuances of her first love with Ambrose, her great love affair with Richard, and the many friendships she made along the way.

Penelope’s childhood is carefree, a bohemian lifestyle that allows her freedom to explore the world around her while gaining an appreciation for art and nature through her father’s profession and the people her parents surround her with. Although her parents’ relationship was born in grief and sorrow due to the impact of World War I, they create a safe and comfortable world for Penelope. Watching the easy love between her parents teaches Penelope that great love is a possibility. This is why she so easily falls for Ambrose. Penelope meets Ambrose during a time when she is unhappy with her circumstances and homesick. Ambrose is the first man she is ever intimate with, and this experience lures her into the mistaken belief that she is in love with him.