Mallory Quinn recalls a time when, desperate for money and deep in addiction, she volunteered for a University of Pennsylvania research study. While waiting, Mallory secretly took oxycodone to stop her withdrawal symptoms. In the study, Mallory was blindfolded and asked to raise her hand whenever she sensed that a row of young men was looking at her. Mallory repeated the test three times and, according to the researcher, identified the men's gaze with near-perfect accuracy.

Afterward, the doctor eagerly questioned Mallory about how she knew when she was being watched. Mallory described it as a physical intuition, sometimes accompanied by a faint high-pitched sound. The doctor asked Mallory to return for more testing, but Mallory traded away her phone for drugs that same night, so the follow-up never happened. In the present, sober Mallory doubts whether the whole episode was real or just one of the false memories she formed while using.

Mallory then establishes the facts of her current life. She is twenty-one, has been sober for eighteen months, has worked the Twelve Steps, and has committed herself to Christianity. Mallory lives in Safe Harbor, a recovery house in northeast Philadelphia, and works weekdays as a teacher's aide at a childcare center. She avoids media and habits that might trigger old memories and tries to build a stable routine.

Mallory credits much of her progress to her sponsor, Russell, a former elite track coach whose own addiction and criminal past led him into recovery ministry. Russell has pushed Mallory to train as a runner again and to think seriously about a new future. He arranges a job interview for Mallory with Ted and Caroline Maxwell in Spring Brook, New Jersey, where they need a nanny for their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Russell drives Mallory to Spring Brook, and the trip highlights how anxious and unsettled Mallory still feels outside her routines. Russell reassures her that Caroline knows Mallory's history and will not be frightened by it. When they arrive, Mallory is struck by the town's wealth, order, and almost unreal suburban perfection, which makes the opportunity feel both promising and intimidating.

Before Mallory goes in, Russell gives her last-minute advice: call the child gifted, because that is what parents in this town want to hear. He also shows Mallory an unspecified item from his glove compartment and urges her to carry it as a backup if the interview starts going badly. Mallory reluctantly takes it, thanks him, and prepares to meet the Maxwells alone, with the chapter ending just before the interview begins.