Humbert's life in America

Humbert moves to New York, working on perfume ads and his literary projects. He suffers a mental breakdown and spends over a year in a sanatorium. Seeking a cure, he joins an arctic expedition to Canada as a recorder of psychic reactions, but finds no nymphets there. After returning, he has another breakdown and is hospitalized again. He amuses himself by tricking psychiatrists with fake dreams. Upon release, he decides to spend a studious summer in a small New England town, hoping to find a peaceful place to work on his book.