On first read, track the “present” (first contact with Heptapods). On second read, follow only the italicized “future” passages about the daughter. You’ll notice they’re not flashbacks — they’re flashforwards , and they’re perfectly consistent with Heptapod physics. The story obeys its own rules.
Searching for the PDF of "Story of Your Life" is worth the effort not just for the science fiction elements, but for its emotional resonance. Chiang writes with a quiet intensity. He strips away the spectacle of alien contact to focus on the intimacy of a mother-child bond stretched across the fourth dimension.