In the mid-2010s, 45-year-old Richard Evans is a concert pianist. One night in Miami, he performs Robert Schumann’s “Fantasie in C Major.” He plays the piece without making any mistakes but feels that his performance lacks emotion. Regardless, the audience gives him a standing ovation.

Genova introduces Richard’s ex-wife, Karina, who grew up in Zabrze, Poland, where she took piano lessons from Mr. Borowitz. Borowitz’s specialty was the music of Frédéric Chopin, a revered Polish composer. Karina’s success as a pianist led her to emigrate to the US to continue her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she met and fell in love with Richard. Richard and Karina moved to Boston and had a daughter, Grace. Karina took up piano teaching while Richard pursued his career as a concert pianist. Over time, the two drifted apart and eventually got divorced while Grace was a senior in high school. Grace is now a freshman at the University of Chicago.

One day, Karina attends the graduation party of one of her piano students. At the party, she feels self-conscious and worries that the parents are judging her.