Past Forgetting is a novel of growth, learning, and compassion. Matt Kaprenske is a young idealist who wants to change the world and right wrongs. When his career as an organizer for anti-war protests is curtailed by false accusations of committing a crime, he reluctantly takes a job as an orderly in a nursing home (which he thinks of as a "dying home"). He hopes to stay only long enough to find something "more meaningful." When the residents and other employees demonstrate more humanity than others he has known, Matt realizes there is more to life than protests and politics. He is especially moved by three old residents: an angry reporter, an ancient businessman, and a crotchety bookkeeper. When a powerful family confronts one of them, Matt is challenged by an offer to make a difference in exchange for keeping quiet about a scandal. Struggling to remain true to his values, he faces decisions about the direction of his life and how far he will go to make have an impact.