 Stricken by grief, the father bargains (heedless of the prospect of financial ruin) with the "Resurrectionists" to have his wife's corpse technologically revived.The resurrection is a hollow one, as all higher cognitive functions are irreparably damaged, although it does function somewhat autonomously.Their family is stigmatized, and the father slowly breaks down and his classes become less and less popular until he takes a sabbatical to write his long-planned work on the "Cantos".