What would it be like to live forever? Most of us, when we think of eternal life, imagine it either in vague religious terms or as a kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy. We often assume that such a life would come with transcendent wisdom that solves all our problems or eternal youth, like a never-ending summer vacation. But what if, as Babbitt suggests, immortality simply preserved people at the age they were when they drank from the fountain? What would it be like to continue indefinitely as a tired, late middle-aged person? Or as a frustrated husband, still in his prime but forever separated from his family? Or as a naive and energetic adolescent, never quite growing up?

It was a novel concept to her that people could live in such disarray, yet she found it captivating.
Winnie Foster, a young girl on the brink of adolescence, feels intensely frustrated by the boundaries her parents have set for her life. She longs to explore the world and have adventures. Initially, she is drawn to the Tucks' freedom from both the constraints of a middle-class lifestyle and the tyranny of aging. However, she gradually realizes that true joy is only possible with the change that accompanies the aging process. The Tucks do not change. As Angus Tuck describes it, they've fallen off the wheel of life. Despite being uneducated, Angus and Mae Tuck are endearing and possess a certain limited wisdom. Their sons, Miles and Jesse, seem to be fine young men, with Jesse being particularly spirited and attractive.

Ultimately, the Tucks are terminally bored and, perhaps, a bit boring. They have eternity, but because each day is essentially the same as the last, they effectively have nothing. Although Jesse tries to persuade Winnie to join him in eternal life, his parents make it clear that their situation is more of a burden than a blessing.