Arthur Louis Pullman the Third has been stripped of his college scholarship, is losing his grip on reality, and has been sent away to live with his aunt and uncle. He discovers a journal written by his grandfather, the first Arthur Louis Pullman, a Salinger-esque author who went missing the last week of his life and died hundreds of miles away from their family home. Using the journal as a guide, Arthur embarks on a cross-country train ride to relive his grandfather's last week. His journey is complicated by a shaky alliance with a girl who has secrets of her own and by escalating run-ins with a dangerous Pullman fan base.