On her way to work the morning after her marriage to Christian pre-med student Willem, Abby Zengler steps in front of a bus and is severely injured.

The narrative switches between the present and Abby's childhood in Chautauqua Falls, a fictional small town in upstate New York.

Llewyn begins stalking Nicola, leaving her threatening messages and attempting to enter her home while she is at work.

Eric K. Anderson noted in an article for Bearing Witness: Joyce Carol Oates Studies that Pursuit explores the theme of mental illness in veterans through the character of Llewyn Hayman.

Anderson writes, "Oates is also cognizant of the way in which violence is taught and bred into some men who enter the armed forces.