Wisconsin native Albert Kellner, a former high school literature teacher forced into retirement due to complete loss of sight in one eye, has moved to a suburb of London with his Welsh-born wife, Rhys. They've done so because Rhys's father, Brinley, who lives in Cardiff, is chronically ill and will soon die. Rhys, younger than Albert, works long hours as a pediatrician at a local NHS hospital. Albert spends quiet days brooding alone, taking walks and reliving his past, but all that changes as he begins to lose sight in his only good eye.