Content Warning: This section of the guide includes a discussion of suicide, stigmatizing language about mental illness, and allusions to rape.

Sibylla’s grandfather, “a Methodist minister” (17), is known for his striking appearance and resonant voice. When Sibylla’s father, an atheist and Darwinist, earns a scholarship to Harvard at a young age, her grandfather encourages him to explore theological studies before embracing secularism. Her father faces rejection from most theological seminaries due to his young age and unconventional motives. Eventually, he finds a smaller seminary that charges him $1,500 a year. Her grandfather, in support of his son’s theological studies, offers to cover half of the tuition.

Sibylla’s father meets a man named Buddy at a bar and amasses $1,000 from pool games. He receives investment advice from a stranger about real estate. Both he and Buddy trust the stranger’s insights. Later, Sibylla’s father receives an admission offer from Harvard without a scholarship. His father attributes it to “God’s will” (21). This decision leaves him uncertain about his future, leading him to embark on a 1,300-mile drive and engage in giving strangers money for unusual tasks. His journey takes him to Buddy’s house in Philadelphia where he learns about Buddy’s family’s suppressed musical ambitions due to their father’s “very high standards” (23).