The story in Remains of the Day is told by Stevens, an aging butler in post-war England, as he embarks on a drive across the English countryside to visit a housekeeper who worked with him decades earlier. Stevens has built his entire life around being the butler to a distinguished house. He has defined himself entirely by his service to his employer, with no consideration for alternative paths. The trip offers him the time and space to reflect on what that dedication meant, and whether the man he chose to serve was truly the distinguished, wise gentleman Stevens believed him to be.
One of the best works of fiction I have ever read.