Miss Bi Chin lives in Bangkok with her uncle, whom she despises, and their visitor, an American monk waiting on permission to reenter Burma after his last visa renewal was rejected. Miss Bi Chin has been asked by the abbot to observe the monk and report back to him. If the monk's visa is denied, the abbot may decide to send him back to America to start a monastery, assuming his hostess believes he is a good fit.

Miss Bi Chin works as a secretary at American Express, a job which she keeps because it allows her to focus on her religion and help monks when she is needed. She has never married, since, she believes, Asian men find her too well educated and too religious. The monk is known in America as Tom Perkins, former carpenter and lover of Mary Rose, his girlfriend whom he never broke up with. He has only sent her a handful of letters over the years, and he knows that she always expected he would have returned home by now. The monk debates whether or not to use the house phone to call Mary, unsure whether it is a violation of the rules he is supposed to follow. His hostess has left for work, so the monk asks the old man, her uncle, if he can use his phone. However, the old man does not speak English and the monk does not speak his language, Malay, so the monk simply assumes that the old man's confused response is a yes.

When Miss Bi Chin returns, her uncles tells her about the monk's phone call, concluding that he is not a very pious monk and that his behavior changes as soon as his hostess leaves. His comments make Miss Bi Chin angry; she knows that her uncle dislikes monks no matter their behavior. Still upset, the woman goes upstairs to confess her feelings of hatred to the monk. While the American monk offers her advice, Miss Bi Chin begins to develop an attraction toward him. The monk continues the conversation, aware that he is oversharing but unable to stop himself, and tells the woman about his relationship with Mary, who still sends the monastery money to support him, a fact that makes him feel guilty. His hostess offers advice in return and welcomes him to stay with her as long as he'd like so he can continue to practice and study the texts in her library.

One day, Miss Bi Chin shows the monk a bruise on her arm, given to her by her uncle. The monk tells his hostess to demand the old man leave her house, but Miss Bi Chin protests, knowing the monk can not stay in her home without a witness. The monk insists that her health is more important and proposes that he live outside in her gardens instead. When the old man leaves and the monk moves outside, Miss Bi Chin begins to feel uneasy. She now loves the monk, and she worries that he loves her back and that they will both give in to lust and temptation. The woman decides to resist her feelings and writes to the abbot explaining her concerns, knowing he will make the monk relocate to Penang. Though she knows it is impossible, she can't help but wonder if the abbot will force the monk to disrobe, in which case they could finally be together.

The monk, who has developed strong feelings toward Miss Bi Chin, also begins to worry that his hostess is in love with him. He decides that the complexity of his situation is making it too difficult for him to properly follow the rules and soon tells Miss Chin that he must leave for Penang. As they sit in the garden, the old man watches them from across the street. He reaches for the gun in his bag and wonders whether he should kill them or simply break the window and frighten them. Maybe their fear would cause them to embrace, which would be a clear violation of the rules. The old man aims for the window, but he knows his aim isn't what it used to be.