Sometimes you should switch from the past tense (went, for example) to the past perfect tense (had gone). You should use the past perfect tense when you’re referring to an event that precedes the action in the text—the “ongoing present” of story time. Example:

“Ted opened one of his art books to where he placed a bookmark.”

Ted put the bookmark into the book before he opened the book in the present, so you should write:

“Ted opened one of his art books to where he had placed a bookmark.”

In a sentence with two or more verbs that express past action, you should use the past perfect tense for the verb that expresses the earliest of the actions.

Paul Thayer