the main story centers on a group of seventeen individuals (all of whom go by nicknames based on the story they tell) who have decided to participate in a secret writers' retreat, frequently compared by characters to the villa diodati retreat of 1816. after having noticed an invitation to the retreat posted on the bulletin board of a cafe in oregon, the characters follow instructions on the invitation to meet mr. whittier, the retreat's organizer. whittier tells them to each wait for a bus to pick them up the next morning and bring only what they can fit into one piece of luggage (in particular, only what they feel they need most).