Poised to kiss her husband, Fred, in front of a fireplace for a scene she is shooting, Suzie Flowers can’t help “her head from nodding ever so slightly” (1). This action, along with having a “shiny and blotched face,” keep upsetting the cameraman, who continuously voices his annoyance with Suzie (2). The woman recounting this scene is functioning as a translator between the annoyed cameraman and Suzie. She, along with the director Mr. Oda, try to capture the last scene of the film they are making, but Fred and Suzie mess it up, so they are forced to start again. 

This chapter is prefaced by an excerpt from Japanese court poet Sei Shōnagon about piecing together a “torn” letter (5). 

Jane Takagi-Little pulls the cold covers around her and mulls over her current occupation as a “starving artist” (7). It’s January 1991 and Jane has been trying to find a job as a documentary filmmaker in New York City’s East Village. As Jane reflects on her lack of success, money, and central heating, the phone rings. It’s her former boss, Kato, asking for her help on a TV show he wants to launch called “My American Wife” (8).