Rinus Spruit is living in his parental home in Nieuwdorp, Zeeland. He spends most of his time gardening, drinking coffee in the kitchen together with his neighbour and taking care of his cats. However, after the death of his parents, he finds himself wondering about his family history. When he comes across a box containing old letters, photographs and documents in the attic, he decides to delve deeper into his family’s fascinating past.

A lot of is new and mysterious to him. Who was his great grandmother Catharina exactly? And why, being a young housemaid, did she leave Zeeland for Antwerp? And what on earth did two of his grandfather’s sisters do in the United States? Spruit travels to his distant relatives in Flanders to explore his family’s heritage. What effect do memories have on us? And how does the past influence our well-being today? Rinus Spruit explores these themes in this highly personal novel - with his native region as the leading motif.