David is the author of the story and the first-person narrator of the book. He writes the story forty years after the events, once everyone else, especially his parents and grandparents, are dead. The tale he records involves accusations of sexual abuse against his father’s brother, David’s Uncle Frank. David at the time was 12 years old. He was still considered a child by his family, and he gathered information by eavesdropping on adults.

In the story, the young adolescent David is intelligent, curious, sensitive, loving, and energetic. In many ways, he is what the reader would expect of a 12-year-old boy. He has a crush on his housekeeper/babysitter, Marie. 

David still pursues his boyhood activities, such as horseback riding and fishing. However, he is very eager to be a full member of the family and to be treated like an adult. David is very fond of his mother and father and feels loved and taken care of. 

David’s life changes with the revelations of his Uncle’s crimes and the murder and suicide that follow. As David looks back on events as an adult, he recognizes that they contributed to his skepticism about life and history, which he teaches. He knows first-hand about the hidden secrets that are not included in history textbooks.