The Whole World is a sort of crime/suspense novel set in Cambridge, England, told in turn from the viewpoint of five different characters. The first two narrators, Polly and Liv, are friends, and seem to have much in common – they are both American students with things to hide, and they are both attracted to the same young man, Nick. One night things come to a head as Nick somehow ends up kissing them both, then goes missing and is presumed dead. Then Nick, a blind woman called Gretchen and a local police officer, Morris, tell their stories, and the novel takes several weird twists. It is hard to say more without revealing too much about the plot.