Pascal lost his job and his girlfriend, and as if that's not bad enough, he then injures his back so he can't run anymore to burn off stress. Though he's desperate for the endorphin high, and unable to return to drawing cartoons, he decides to immerse himself in books, hoping the escape will help him forget his woes.

At a favorite bookstore, he sees a woman picking up one of his books--and then steal it. He learns the bookstore has had several thefts recently. Is she the thief? And why? Why did she choose his book to steal? Flattered, Pascal turns amateur detective, seeking answers and a distraction.

Exploring how break-ups can ruin your life for a while, the complexity of relationships from friendship to romance, and describing a cascade of failures, the book has a fatalistic sense of humor to it. Like real life, some questions don't have answers, and some compromises don't pay off, and not all endings are neat.