The unnamed narrator recounts a brief period in his life when he was happiest. As a lackluster, watchful boy at a boarding school in 1960s England, the narrator is deeply unhappy. A chance encounter introduces him to the masterful Finn. Finn is his own age, but manages to live alone in a small hut by the sea. The narrator is fascinated, and insinuates himself into Finn's small, quiet life.
A quote near the end that I loved.