Victoire wakes up one morning to find her boyfriend lying dead beside her. Not wanting to be caught with a corpse, she packs her bags, raids her bank account and makes off, randomly, for the Southwest. Only the sudden appearances of her friend Jean-Louis keep her in touch with her real life back in Paris, though it is a mystery how he finds her in the most unexpected places. And, when she has lost her belongings, her money, her looks and almost her self - it takes a year to reach rock bottom - it is Jean-Louis that tells her the "Felix" affair is all over: she can come back. But not even Echenoz's deadpan take on life's perversity can detract from the shock of what greets her return.