Numbers are everything to Grace Lisa Vandenburg. The life of Grace, a Melbourne-based mathematician, is largely governed by her arithmomania, an obsessive-compulsive need to count (three times to ensure accuracy) everything from the poppy seeds on her cake to the bristles on her toothbrush. In a chaotic, sometimes tragic, and constantly changing world, Grace’s preoccupation gives her a sense of order and control. And she does her best to lead a “normal” life, spending time with her mother and sister, her beloved niece Larry… and a manifestation of the late inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla who is Grace’s closest confidante.