Numbers are everything to Grace Lisa Vandenburg. The life of Grace, a Melbourne-based mathematician, is largely governed by her arithmomania, an obsessive-compulsive need to count (three times to ensure accuracy) everything from the poppy seeds on her cake to the bristles on her toothbrush. In a chaotic, sometimes tragic, and constantly changing world, Grace's preoccupation gives her a sense of order and control. And she does her best to lead a "normal" life, spending time with her mother and sister, her beloved niece Larry... and a manifestation of the late inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla who is Grace's closest confidante. Grace's structured life takes an unexpected but not altogether unwelcome turn when she meets Seamus, a British immigrant captivated by Grace's offbeat charm. As their relationship deepens, Grace grapples with revealing her compulsion. In an effort to change, she begins seeing a therapist and agrees to take medication, which dulls and upends her once-vibrant world. Adrift in this new reality, Grace must face the spectre of a long-buried childhood tragedy, forging a new path towards balance.
