The novel begins with a prologue dated June 1691 and written in Richmond, England. An unnamed narrator declares that they are going to record a truth that they have long hidden and lied about, and expresses their belief that no one is going to read these words anyway: “Let these pages compass, at last, the truth” (1).

The main narrative begins in November 2000, in London. Helen Watt, a British historian who specializes in 17th-century Jewish history, receives a phone call requesting that she come to Richmond to look at some documents that have been uncovered in a historical home dating back to the 1600s. The home belongs to Ian and Bridgette Easton, who inherited it from Bridgette’s aunt. They plan to remodel the home, but when renovations began, the contractors uncovered a cache of old documents. Since Ian once took a class with Helen, he asks her to come and look at them.

Helen briefly looks at the documents, which are written in a combination of Hebrew and Portuguese. She outlines a plan to Ian and Bridgette: She would like to spend approximately three days reviewing the documents, so that she can submit a proposal for the university where she works to purchase them.