One day, Nicola stops receiving funding for her academic research, while she believes she is onto something big. At more or less the same time, she is unexpectedly abandoned by her partner. This loss brings earlier losses to the surface and also revives lost desires within her. Set adrift, she regains freedom. Imperturbed she continues to cultivate her bacteria in a corner of the laboratory, avoiding the gaze of others. Then she meets Louis, a man who completely captivates her.

In the Eye is, like Marijke Schermer’s earlier novels, a book about love and relationships, about seeing and being seen. At the same time it is an astute investigation into autonomy and responsibility.