Micah Mortimer is a tall man in his early forties who lives alone in the basement of an apartment building, which he immaculately maintains. He works in tech support, often helping older clients who struggle with technology. He also maintains the apartment building, sweeping walkways, tending to the yard, and fixing things. Micah wears the same clothing style every day and follows a routine that he doesn’t enjoy disrupting. Micah tediously obeys traffic laws and speed limits, and he imagines a character called the Traffic God is watching his every move as he drives. 

On a Monday morning in late October, Micah gets a call from one of his usual clients, Mrs. Prescott. As he arrives at her place, he receives a call from his “woman friend” Cass—Micah doesn’t like the term “girlfriend” because she is in her late thirties. Cass tells him that her landlord discovered her cat, and she’s worried about being evicted. Micah reassures her that she doesn’t know yet whether she’ll be evicted. 

Micah helps Mrs. Prescott by disconnecting and reconnecting her modem and router. He asks if she saw what he did, and she tells him that she’d never remember.