The book consists of narration in both the present and past, with the story recalling events from seventy years in the past.
This novel introduces the main protagonist, 10-year-old Polish-Jewish Leopold (Leo) Gursky, as he falls in love and starts a 10-year relationship with his neighbour, Alma Mereminsk. However, everything begins to fall apart when a pregnant Alma is sent to the US to prevent her from being a victim of Nazi Germany.
Leo escapes the clasp of the Nazi’s by living out in the wilderness for three years. When the regime ends, he escapes to the US to find Alma. However, Alma has since been married to the manager of the factory she works at. She tells an unknowing Leo that he has a son called Isaac. Leo begs her to escape with him, but she refuses, as she now has a son with her husband and cannot break her family apart.
The novel flicks back to the present, where a now elderly Leo learns of both his son’s and Alma’s death. He becomes obsessed with the thought of knowing if his son knew anything of him, which leaves him in a deep depression.
The perspective then changes to that of Leo’s friend, Zvi Litvinoff, who stole Leo’s book idea, The History of Love, unbeknownst to him, and had it published. He dies without ever revealing the truth.
In another parallel story, a young girl named Alma Singer, named after the Alma in The History of Love, is suffering from the loss of her father to cancer. One day, she receives a letter from the mysterious Jacob Marcus who offers her $100,000 to translate The History of Love from Spanish to English. Alma is curious about this so begins to research into the Alma from the books, who she learns is dead. However, she realizes that the mysterious Jacob is actually Alma’s son, Isaac, although he has since passed.
Alma leaves a note asking who the author is but the note reaches an elderly Leo, who thinks his old love is still alive. As he waits on bench for Alma to arrive, he thinks back on his life and love. However, Alma Singer is the one to meet him at the park, and after a moment of confusion, Leo begins to share his story with her.
In the end, Leo states the name Alma three time and it is suggested that he peacefully dies, finally getting the closure he needed over all those years.
