In a world where the general population's technological dependence has increased to the point where devices are embedded into the human man, Victor is a businessman at Nike trying to sign a burgeoning Senegalese basketball player named Oxford Diallo to Nike's repertoire of athletes. Oxford and his father just arrived from Senegal to Seattle, with the aim of demonstrating the son's moves to Victor so that Oxford gets sponsored by Nike. During the trial exhibition, Victor likes what he sees. Oxford's father excuses himself to go to the bathroom because he's currently suffering from a condition that causes him to cough up blood every so often. While Oxford's father is gone, Victor offers to sign Oxford if Oxford agrees to become meshed. When people become meshed, a device is forever implanted into their brains that allow other people to step into their bodies and experience the meshed person's life, as though they were living it themselves. Oxford refuses, vowing to never get meshed. Victor's boss tells him that, if he doesn't sign Oxford, he won't receive the promotion that he wants. Victor asks if it's sufficient to sign Oxford without requiring that he become meshed; his boss refuses. To buy himself time to negotiate, Victor invites Oxford and his father to dinner. At dinner, Oxford moves to a pod where he can explore the catalog of meshed individuals and enter their bodies while Victor and Oxford's father talk. Oxford's father says that his son's decision is final; he'd made a promise to his grandfather never to get meshed. During the war in Senegal, meshes were implanted in each soldier and used to control them from afar, forcing soldiers to kill people, even if they didn't want to. When Oxford's father goes to the bathroom because of his condition, Victor comes up to Oxford and explains that he has a responsibility to allow people like his sick father experience what they can no longer. Oxford agrees, despite his promise to his grandfather. After dinner, Oxford asks to go outside to play basketball before going to the hotel. He tells his father about his conversation with Victor; the elder Diallo challenges Oxford to a game of basketball. If the father wins, Oxford will not get meshed; if he loses, then Oxford can. Although the father starts off winning, Oxford eventually bests him. They collapse, tired, while Victor looks from afar. Guiltily, Victor says that Oxford doesn't need to sign the contract right away.