The Fault in Our Stars (Green)
Short summary
Indianapolis, early 2010s. Sixteen-year-old cancer patient Hazel met seventeen-year-old Augustus at a support group.
They bonded over their shared love of a novel called An Imperial Affliction, which ended mid-sentence. Augustus used his wish from a cancer charity to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet the book's reclusive author, Peter Van Houten. The author turned out to be a cruel, drunken disappointment who refused to answer Hazel's questions about the characters' fates.
Despite this, Hazel and Augustus fell deeply in love during the trip. They visited the Anne Frank House, where they shared their first real kiss. Shortly after returning home, Augustus revealed that his cancer had returned and spread throughout his body.
Augustus deteriorated rapidly. He organized a prefuneral where Hazel and their friend Isaac delivered eulogies. Before he died, Augustus wrote something for Hazel and sent it to Van Houten. After Augustus's death, Hazel discovered he had written her a eulogy.
You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world... but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.
In his letter, Augustus praised Hazel for leaving a smaller mark on the world, arguing that true heroism lay in noticing things rather than doing things. He expressed gratitude for their time together and his choice to love her, despite the inevitable pain.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. Support Group and meeting Augustus Waters
In the winter of her seventeenth year, Hazel's mother decided she was depressed and took her to see their doctor, who agreed and prescribed attendance at a weekly Support Group. The group met in the basement of a church, in a room shaped like a cross, where cancer kids gathered to share their experiences.
At one meeting, Hazel noticed a new boy staring at her. He was tall and handsome, sitting in a wheelchair with one leg.
Chapter 2. First visit to Augustuss house
After Support Group, Augustus introduced himself and invited Hazel to his house to watch a movie. His parents welcomed her warmly, and Augustus showed her his basement room filled with basketball trophies. He explained that he used to play basketball before his diagnosis. They watched a movie together, and Augustus drove Hazel home, though his driving was terrible due to his prosthetic leg. Before she left, he asked to see her again.
Chapter 3. The swing set and Peter Van Houtens book
Augustus called Hazel and they discussed her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, by a reclusive author named Peter Van Houten. The book ended mid-sentence, leaving many questions unanswered. Augustus promised to read it. Days later, he contacted Hazel with exciting news—he had found Van Houten's assistant online and received a response from the author himself. Van Houten wrote that he couldn't answer Hazel's questions in writing but would be happy to discuss them in person if she ever visited Amsterdam.
One afternoon, Augustus took Hazel to a park with a skeleton sculpture. There, he revealed that he was using his wish from a cancer charity to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten.
Chapter 4. Hazels health crisis and ICU stay
Before the trip could happen, Hazel woke up one night unable to breathe. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, where doctors discovered her lungs were filled with fluid. She spent days in the ICU, and everyone thought she might die. However, her doctor managed to drain the fluid and stabilize her condition. The Amsterdam trip seemed impossible now.
Chapter 5. Contact with Van Houten and deepening relationship
After recovering, Hazel emailed Van Houten with her questions about the book's characters. He responded that he could only answer in person. Hazel's doctor eventually approved the trip to Amsterdam, and preparations began. Meanwhile, Hazel and Augustus grew closer, talking on the phone for hours and spending time together. Augustus told Hazel about his ex-girlfriend Caroline, who had died of brain cancer. One night on the phone, Augustus told Hazel he was in love with her.
I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable... but I am in love with you.
Chapter 6. Isaacs breakup and trophy destruction
Hazel attended Support Group again and reconnected with Isaac, who was facing surgery that would leave him completely blind. His girlfriend Monica had broken up with him right before the surgery, unable to handle his blindness. After the surgery, Augustus invited Hazel to his house where Isaac was visiting. In his anger and grief, Isaac destroyed Augustus's basketball trophies while Augustus encouraged him.
Chapter 7. Augustuss Wish: trip to Amsterdam
The trip to Amsterdam was finally approved. Hazel's mother would accompany them. Before leaving, Hazel and Augustus helped Isaac egg his ex-girlfriend's car in revenge for her abandonment. Augustus explained his philosophy about the unlit cigarettes he always carried—it was a metaphor for having control over what could kill him.
It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.
Chapter 8. Pre-trip preparations and medical approval
Hazel had a Cancer Team Meeting where doctors discussed her condition. They decided to continue her current treatment and perform more frequent fluid drainings. When Hazel asked about traveling to Amsterdam, one doctor laughed, but her primary oncologist approved the trip. Hazel's parents initially worried but eventually agreed. Hazel discovered that her mother had been secretly taking online classes to become a social worker, planning for a future after Hazel's death. This revelation actually comforted Hazel, knowing her mother would have purpose.
Chapter 9. Flying to Amsterdam and settling in
On the flight to Amsterdam, Augustus revealed he had never flown before and was amazed by the experience. During the flight, he told Hazel he loved her. They watched movies together and talked about life and death. When they arrived in Amsterdam, they were enchanted by the city's beauty—the canals, the bicycles, the old buildings. They checked into their hotel, and Augustus took Hazel to an expensive restaurant for dinner. The meal was extraordinary, and they drank champagne.
I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
Chapter 10. Meeting Peter Van Houten ends in disappointment
The next day, they went to meet Van Houten at his home. His assistant Lidewij greeted them warmly, but Van Houten was drunk and hostile. When Hazel asked her questions about the book's characters, he refused to answer, saying they were just fictional constructs. He was cruel and dismissive, calling Hazel and Augustus side effects of dying. Devastated and angry, Hazel and Augustus left. Lidewij apologized profusely and took them to the Anne Frank House to salvage the day.
Chapter 11. Romantic dinner and Anne Frank House kiss
At the Anne Frank House, Hazel struggled to climb the steep stairs but insisted on continuing. When they reached the room where Anne had lived, they read about the Frank family's fate. Surrounded by other tourists, Augustus and Hazel kissed. The crowd around them applauded. Later, they returned to Augustus's hotel room and made love for the first time. It was gentle and meaningful, though not the dramatic experience either had imagined.
Chapter 12. Augustus reveals his cancer has returned
The next morning, Augustus told Hazel devastating news—his cancer had returned and spread throughout his body. He had known before the trip but hadn't told her. He had stopped treatment to come to Amsterdam. Hazel was heartbroken but tried to be strong for him. They spent their last day in Amsterdam together, trying to enjoy their remaining time.
The world is not a wish-granting factory.
They flew home, and Augustus began aggressive treatment, but it was clear he was dying. Hazel visited him daily as his condition deteriorated.
Chapter 13. Processing the devastating news
Back home, Hazel struggled to process Augustus's diagnosis. She researched his condition and tried to understand what was happening to him. Her parents supported her through this difficult time. Hazel felt guilty that she had let herself fall in love, knowing the pain it would cause.
Chapter 14. Augustuss health deteriorates rapidly
Augustus's condition worsened quickly. He moved to a hospital bed in his living room. Hazel visited him every day, and they spent time together watching movies and playing video games. His family gathered around him, and Hazel met his sisters and their children. Despite the pain and medication, Augustus tried to maintain his sense of humor.
Chapter 15. The prefuneral in Support Group
Augustus arranged a prefuneral at Support Group so he could hear what people would say about him. Isaac spoke first, giving a funny and touching eulogy. Then Hazel read her prepared speech about infinities and how grateful she was for their time together.
Some infinities are bigger than other infinities... I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Chapter 16. Daily routines of caring for dying Augustus
Hazel spent every day with Augustus as he grew weaker. They established routines—she would arrive around noon, they would eat lunch with his parents, then spend time together playing video games or just talking. Augustus was on heavy pain medication and slept frequently. Hazel treasured every moment with him.
Chapter 17. Augustuss humiliating accident
One morning, Hazel arrived to find that Augustus had wet the bed during the night. He was deeply embarrassed and frustrated by his loss of dignity. They argued about his obsession with leaving a mark on the world. Hazel tried to tell him that being remembered by her should be enough, but Augustus struggled with the idea that his life might not have broader meaning. The incident highlighted how much the disease had taken from him.
Chapter 18. Emergency call from gas station
Late one night, Augustus called Hazel from a gas station. He had tried to drive there to buy cigarettes but something had gone wrong with his feeding tube. He was covered in vomit and in terrible pain. Despite his protests, Hazel called an ambulance. While they waited, Augustus broke down, crying and expressing his hatred of his situation. Hazel tried to comfort him, reciting poetry until the ambulance arrived. He was hospitalized again.
Pain demands to be felt.
Chapter 19. Augustuss final days at home
Augustus returned home from the hospital, but it was clear he didn't have much time left. He was heavily medicated and barely conscious most of the time. His family gathered around him constantly. Hazel spent as much time with him as possible, holding his hand and talking to him even when he couldn't respond. Eight days after his prefuneral, Augustus died in the ICU with his family by his side. His mother called Hazel at three-thirty in the morning to tell her he was gone.
Chapter 20. Augustus dies and Hazel grieves
Hazel was devastated by Augustus's death. She called Isaac, who was equally heartbroken. She spent the day in bed, unable to function. The pain was overwhelming—worse than any physical pain she had experienced. She kept thinking about calling Augustus, forgetting for moments that he was gone. Her parents stayed close, trying to comfort her. Hazel felt that losing Augustus meant losing her memories of him, since he was the only one who truly shared them.
Chapter 21. Preparing for and attending the funeral
The funeral was held five days after Augustus's death. Hazel wore a black dress and struggled through the service. She viewed Augustus's body in the casket and slipped a pack of cigarettes inside for him. The minister gave a generic eulogy that frustrated Hazel. Isaac spoke movingly about their friendship. Hazel gave her prepared eulogy, though she had to tone down her honest feelings for the sake of Augustus's parents.
Chapter 22. The funeral and Peter Van Houtens appearance
At the funeral, Hazel was shocked to see Peter Van Houten in attendance. After the service, he tried to talk to her, but she was angry and dismissed him. Later, he appeared in her car, drunk and trying to apologize. He revealed that he had lost a daughter to leukemia, which explained his behavior in Amsterdam. Hazel felt some sympathy for him but was still too hurt and grieving to engage with him meaningfully.
Chapter 23. Searching for Augustuss final writing
Isaac told Hazel that Augustus had been writing something for her before he died. Hazel searched Augustus's house desperately but couldn't find it. His father found a notebook with pages torn out, but the pages themselves were missing. Hazel was devastated, thinking she had lost Augustus's final words to her. She searched everywhere they had been together but found nothing.
Chapter 24. Van Houtens unexpected visit and apology
Days later, Hazel received an email from Lidewij. She had confronted Van Houten and forced him to look for Augustus's letter. Van Houten had received it but refused to read it at first. Eventually, Lidewij convinced him, and he agreed to send it to Hazel. The letter was attached to the email—Augustus's final words.
Chapter 25. Augustuss final letter to Van Houten
In his letter to Van Houten, Augustus had asked the author to help him write a eulogy for Hazel. He wrote about how Hazel was different from other people—she walked lightly on the earth and didn't try to leave scars on the world. He described her as a real hero, someone who noticed things rather than trying to change them. He wrote about falling in love with her and how lucky he felt to have known her.
The real heroes... aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention... She walks lightly upon the earth.