The narrator of this tale is Ed, a middle-aged bookseller who is always on the prowl for a good story. In the midst of Ed's mourning over a friend's suicide, he finds himself unaccountably drawn to a customer in the bookshop. Neither wishing to alienate this customer nor wanting to be dishonest about his feelings, Ed composes a group of unconventional letters. While addressed to one person, they will be read by another, triggering a series of events...