The novel begins with a series of letters from Arctic explorer Captain Walton to his sister. Victor Frankenstein is found near death and recounts the tale that lead to him being found on the ice. Born and raised in Geneva, Frankenstein had a prosperous upbringing that included two brothers, Ernest and William; his cousin Elizabeth; Justine, a family servant; and Henry Clerval, a boyhood friend. After watching his mother die of disease, the young Victor Frankenstein goes to the University in Ingolstadt where he is initially rebuked for lacking a modern scientific background before becoming one of the school’s brightest minds.