Martha Gilmeister, a twenty-something who barely graduated high school, needs a job. She's been in New York for nine months, and a series of odd jobs which culminated in a stint as a go-go dancer have led her to the Artemis Academy of Figurative Art, where she becomes a sculpture class' nude model. One day in the studio, a middle-aged Pakistani man approaches Martha on her lunch break and offers her his leftovers. She refuses, and another model tells her that this is a pattern. The man clearly has no idea what he's doing in class, and their rakish instructor singles him out for it harshly. After class, the man accosts Martha, introducing himself as Fazal Malik and asking if she'd like to get a coffee. She agrees, and they have an exceptionally awkward conversation, during which he explains that he has a wife back in Pakistan; he also shows her a shirtless photo of himself. Apart from a few drinks one night, Fazal and Martha don't speak for another month. One day, Fazal takes her to his tiny hostel. They talk for a few minutes until Fazal suddenly tries to force himself on her. Martha runs off. The next day, Fazal tears the head and leg off of his sculpture, and their instructor hides it under a sheet while a group of donors observes. Martha goes back to his hostel with him again but leaves after he falls asleep. They never see each other again, and within a few weeks, he has left for Pakistan and Martha has moved to Uzbekistan to teach English.