The Doomsday Book

In the novel The Doomsday Book bye Connie Willis, the exposition begins with the protagonist, Kivrin, who is preparing to travel back in time to 1320 in attempt to examine the people living in that period. This time period has been announced previously as dangerous, and few people have been sent before. Mr. Basingame has left Mr. Gilchrist in charge while he vacations, not wanting to deal with the risks Kivrin faces. Mr. Gilchrist is to be held responsible for Kivrin’s journey; however, he has spent little time preparing her ‘drop’ and making sure it is safe, and this upsets Mr. Dunworthy her tutor. The narrative hook occurs when Mr. Dunworthy is at a pub waiting for Badri, the technician, to fix Kivrin’s location so she is able to return to 2048 in two weeks. Unfortunately, Badri faints back at the lab making it impossible for him to explain what rubbish Dunworthy speaks of. In the rising action, Badri is discovered as the cause of the deadly influenza forcing all of Oxford to be put in isolation due to its health risks. Mr. Dunworthy must figure out what Badri was trying to tell him back at the pub, and while all of that is happening, Kivrin has arrived in what is expected to be 1320. Kivrin is immediately ill with the disease that is quickly spreading, and her vaccinations seem to be of no help.
A man named Gawyn happened to be riding by Kivrin’s drop location and takes her to the manor of Lord Guillaume. She meets Agnes and Rosemund, two young girls; Lady Eliwys, Lord Guillaume’s wife; and Lad Imeyne, Lady Eliwys’ mother. They help nurse Kivrin back to health, however, Lady Imeyne discovers Kivrin’s false identity and fakes amnesia out of pure despair. Unfortunately, Kivrin is unsuccessful while trying to find her drop location, but she continues to bond with Agnes and Rosemund. The climax of the novel takes place when Mr. Dunworthy and Kivrin find out that she was sent to 1348 rather than 1320, the exact year the Bubonic Plague took over Europe. Badri eventually recovers from his illness and explains to Dunworthy he made a mistake when changing Kivrin’s drop location. Kivrin realizes the same thing when the people surrounding her all become sick from the disease. In the falling action Kivrin does her best to heal those in the manor affected by the plague and now that she has been treated against it, she has no chance of getting sick. Kivrin learns that it was not Gawyn who saved her when she was sick, but Father Roache, and he is able to tell her where the drop is located. Kivrin’s best, however, is not enough to save the people, and they all end up dying. Back in present time, Badri and Dunworthy have designed a plan to save Kivrin and this involves sending Dunworthy back in time to rescue her. The resolution finds Colin, Dunworthy’s assistant, and Dunworthy successfully arriving in the past and bringing Kivrin home .