Liem, an 18-year-old Vietnamese refugee, arrives at an airport in San Francisco. Bewildered by the flight and the foreignness of America, he searches for his sponsor, a British man named Parrish Coyne. When he finds Parrish and his companion, Marcus Chan, he is overwhelmed by the affection Parrish shows him. Parrish mispronounces Liem’s name, using two syllables instead of one, but Liem does not correct him. Liem is slightly intimidated by Marcus because “compared with Marcus, he was sorely lacking in every regard […] Marcus had the posture of someone expecting an inheritance, while Liem’s sense of debt caused him to walk with eyes downcast” (27). They get in Parrish’s car, and as they drive, Liem tells them his story even though he’s tired of telling it.

Parrish tells Liem that he and Marcus are a couple. Liem assumes this is an idiomatic expression for good friends until he sees Marcus staring at him in the rearview mirror. Liam claims that he is liberal and open-minded, but he remembers the discomfort of the nights he spent in the crowded workhouse as other men masturbated. As they drive, Liem is struck by the diversity of cultures represented by the businesses they pass.