The novel focuses on the relationship between Joe and his companions on the barge – a husband, Les and his younger wife, Ella – and it becomes clearer as the novel progresses that Joe is connected to the dead woman he found.
The novel centers on Joe's connections with his companions aboard the barge – a husband, Les, and his younger wife, Ella – and as the story progresses, it is revealed that Joe shares ties with the deceased woman he encountered.