When Cécile meets Sasha on a train, it’s love at first sight. She's off to teach in Minnesota; he's en route back to New York to open a cafe.

Christmas, 1996: Frenchwoman Cécile meets Sasha on a train. She's off to teach in Minnesota; he's en route back to New York to open a cafe. They're both twenty-three. But Sasha isn't like other people his age: he wears a tweed suit, suspenders, starched collar, and well-shined brogues. With his slicked-back hair, you'd think he stepped straight out of the 1920s! A week after their meeting, Cécile is in New York and contacts Sasha. The two grow irresistibly close…
Twenty years later, her days in America a lifetime ago, Cécile learns that Sasha has died, and that his dreams came true beyond his wildest expectations: he opened several cafes and became a famous figure of New York nightlife.