Andrea arrives at the Lowells’ blueberry field on the day that the family holds their annual party. Her father has been hired to cater the event and will be bringing his taco truck. Andrea has talked her friend Matty into attending the party with her, and she hopes that the other guests will think that he is her date. She is critical of the Lowells because of their wealth and privilege, and she openly denigrates them to Matty. Andrea and the Lowells’ daughter, Parker, have both been accepted into Stanford, but the girls are not friends, and when Andrea’s father told the Lowells about her acceptance, they did not suggest arranging a meeting between the two girls.

At Stanford, Andrea never encountered Parker although she thought about her often. Her parents have always had an obsession with the Lowells, and although their fixation bothers Andrea, she also spends more time than she would like in thinking about Parker Lowell. During her first year at Stanford, her mother reported that Mrs. Lowell left her husband for their landscaper, who is a woman. Andrea recalls shrugging and telling her mother that most people are not entirely straight, but her mother was still shocked.