In an unnamed, fictional midwestern city, Jorge Castro goes out for his nightly jog along Red Bank Avenue. Jorge teaches creative writing and Latin American Literature at Bell College of the Arts. He lives with his partner, Freddy. From her porch, 89-year-old poet Olivia Kingsbury watches Jorge go by.

In front of local Deerfield Park, Jorge encounters professors Emily and Rodney Harris, an elderly husband and wife who recently retired from teaching at Bell College. Emily is struggling to load Rodney’s wheelchair into his van, so Jorge offers to help. As Jorge wheels Rodney up a ramp, Emily pricks Jorge with a hypodermic needle. He passes out, whereupon the Harrises restrain him and throw him into the back of the van.

Jorge drifts in and out of consciousness in a soundproofed cage inside the basement of the Harris home. The room contains a futon, a bucket, and a portable toilet. Beyond the bars, he can see a workshop with tools. When he next wakes, Emily Harris is at the door. Ignoring his pleas, she pushes a tray of raw liver through a flap at the bottom of the cell. When Jorge refuses to eat it, Emily withholds water.