Milda Buksnaityte is a nine-year-old Lithuanian-American piano prodigy. Last night, she performed to an adoring New York City crowd full of musicians, critics, and fans. This morning, her uncle, Kastytis Dobilas, hosts members of the press in their luxury apartment. Flashbulbs pop and a barrage of questions rolls through the lush room. The sunny little girl attempts to answer some, but her guardian speaks over her. According to him, he’s a former concert pianist who taught her everything she knows. She never gets nervous, and she’s so very excited for her upcoming European tour—she'll make two thousand dollars a night! One reporter alleges that Dobilas isn’t really a virtuoso, but a former movie soundtrack pianist who got laid off when talkies took over. The girl should have a real teacher, not some washed-up hack. Dobilas asks Milda to go to another room, and he scolds the man for putting false ideas in the impressionable girl’s mind. He shoos the reporters out of the apartment, and Milda excitedly begins practicing for her next performance. That night, Dobilas takes her to visit Sergei Volkonsky. He’s a world-renowned pianist from Russia who attended Milda’s concert last night. He praises the girl’s skills, but he informs Dobilas that she needs more formal training. Her technique is marvelous, but her phrasing is poor. It’s clear that her musical spirit needs honing. She’s remarkable now because she’s so young, but that won’t get her very far. If she continues without a proper tutor, audiences will get bored of her playing, and her career will be over by the time she’s a teenager. Volkonsky urges Dobilas to cancel the girl’s performances for a few years until she’s matured as an artist. Dobilas is furious. How dare Volkonsky propose that he curtail the girl’s talent—and his cash flow—for over half a decade? He leaves with Milda in a huff. On the way back to their apartment, the shadowy night sky hangs overhead.