Paul's memoir begins with the first time he meets Herr Keller, showing the incredible significance their relationship has on Paul's life. A memoir traditionally focuses on the events in the life of the narrator, as this one does, but Maestro is unique in that it tells the story of Paul’s life through his relationship with Herr Keller. He writes only about the parts of his life that relate to Keller, which shows how strongly Paul feels his interactions with Keller defined his life. While the reader sees Paul's initially unfavorable reaction to Keller from his descriptions, the older Paul steps in to foreshadow how much his impression of Keller will change throughout the story.