Raj, a food writer from Percy’s workshop, asks Percy why everyone loves the band Interpol, having only heard of them upon his arrival in New York. Percy explains that Interpol’s debut coincided with the start of their program, prompting Raj to ask if that makes the album meaningful to her. Privately, Percy cannot divorce Interpol’s first album from her perception of New York. She feels like an outsider looking in on both the city and the album. Raj asks if he should buy the album. He likes Sam Cooke and Carole King because they were the music his parents played to assimilate him into American culture. Percy recommends buying the new Neko Case album instead. Raj takes note of the suggestion, which makes Percy miss Joe.

The narrative reveals that after signing Caroline to an indie label, Joe dropped out of college so that the band could go on tour for Funny Strange, their debut album. Zoe soon left for Africa to do organizational work; she did not say goodbye. Nowadays, Percy cannot listen to Caroline’s music without thinking of the past, but she follows Joe’s newsletter and occasionally takes his calls. The band is scheduled to play in New York on the same night as Interpol.

Percy and Nomi go to the Interpol show at Bowery Ballroom with Nomi and a fiction writer named Harrison, whose attractive features make him popular among the fiction writers. However, he is not Percy’s type. Percy wonders if Joe might make it to Interpol after finishing his set, though it is unlikely. During the show, Harrison sexually assaults Percy, making her too terrified to move or to ask him to stop. Afterwards, he gaslights her, insisting that the assault didn’t happen. Percy retreats to Nomi’s side and stays with her until the show is over.

Joe calls Percy when she is heading home. He reveals that he was planning to ask to stay at her place. Despite her irritation with Joe’s presumption, she relents and directs him to her address. When he arrives, Percy tells him that she needs physical space. Joe senses that something happened, but she won’t tell him and gets angry when he pushes the issue. She references their promise to each other, which Joe downplays as if it had been made by children. Percy claims to have moved on from it. She later cries in the bathroom and convinces herself that nothing bad happened to her that night. She wakes up the following morning thinking again of “Let Down.”

Joe gives Percy a CD of new song fragments he is working on. Later that day, he brings her to a piano showroom and convinces the salesman to let them play something. Joe plays Percy one of his works-in-progress: a song called “Bay Window.” The lyrics are based on their experience of 9/11, though they do not explicitly reference the event. Percy helps him to work through the song, making it mirror what happened that day more closely.

Joe declares the song done, but Percy reminds him that it is still missing a bridge, which she describes as the “emotional center” of the song. When Joe refuses to write a bridge, Percy does it herself, singing about Zoe’s intrusion on their intimate day together. Joe accepts her contribution, though Percy feels it isn’t perfect. After drinks, she rewrites the bridge entirely, removing Zoe and singing about the promise instead. The lyrics describe Joe as being “weak.” Joe resists this lyric at first, but he eventually accepts it.

As they catch up with each other, Percy admits that she isn’t sure about herself as a writer yet; she categorizes her work in an ambiguous zone between personal essay and music journalism. Joe embraces her, and she laughs nervously. She mentions that Joe described her as “[t]he woman I love” (113) in the “Bay Window” chorus. Joe laughs it off as a lyric that sounded good. Percy agrees, then leaves.

One week later, Percy shares an essay with her writing workshop entitled “Prepare to Bleed.” The essay starts with a critique of “Chelsea Hotel #2” by Leonard Cohen, which depicts his sexual relationship with Janis Joplin. The song frames Joplin as someone who would have sex with Cohen even if he cared very little for her and her agency. To add insult to injury, Cohen compliments Joplin for her stoicism, even though she deserves to be remembered for much more. Joplin would later confess that she stayed around Cohen because she thought their relationship would blossom into something more.

The essay then discusses “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell, which Mitchell wrote about Cohen. Mitchell compares Cohen to a poison she has developed a resistance towards, so she freely consumes him, knowing that it will damage her. Other artists like Tori Amos would later envy Mitchell for writing the song because of how deeply they identified with it. They wished they could have turned their own experiences into a work of art so powerful that it would inspire other artists and heal their wounds.

Finally, the essay considers “Our House” by Graham Nash, a song Nash wrote about Mitchell. Mitchell is framed by the warmth of domestic life, though Percy posits that this must have exhausted Mitchell. Mitchell rejected Nash’s marriage proposal, believing that he wanted to turn her into his housewife. This lens turns the song into a portrait of Nash rather than a portrait of Mitchell. Percy concludes that the same can be said of the other two songs she’s discussed.

Percy’s workshop discusses the essay, though they stumble in trying to locate its thesis and have trouble relating to its references. The teacher tries to get them to see the songs Percy writes about in a new light, but Percy’s classmates fail to follow this lead, arguing that she should be clearer about whether she wants to write about music or herself. However, Raj disagrees with this assessment, pointing out that the essay’s intentions are transparent and that Percy should write more of herself into the essay. He declares that Percy’s work is really about “how people use music to get clarity on themselves” (120).

Later over drinks, Percy thanks Raj for his comment. He observes that Percy is pensive, so Percy reveals that Caroline was invited to tour the United Kingdom. She is disappointed not to see Joe over the winter holiday as she had expected. Raj can relate; he cites his own experience of being in love with a girl who was also his best friend. He reassures Percy that because she never had sex with Joe, she doesn’t have to miss the experience.

Raj tells her that he followed through with her Neko Case recommendation and is enjoying the album. He returns the favor by taking her to a Pakistani restaurant in Queens. On the way, she admits that she doesn’t want to put more of herself into her writing because her previous attempts embarrassed her. Raj encourages her to commit to writing about herself.

Raj shares that he grew up in Los Angeles, a fact that shocks Percy. Percy explains that he doesn’t strike her as being from Los Angeles because he isn’t superficial. He answers that he lives “in the realm of the senses” (123), a turn of phrase that bewilders Percy. She is inspired to become more aware of her own sensory experiences that night.

Raj and Percy enter a relationship over the winter break. The first time Percy sleeps at Raj’s place, Raj plays classic rock songs from his laptop. “Bring It on Home to Me” by Sam Cooke comes on and perfectly fits the romantic mood.

Raj asks Percy if there is anything she wants to do apart from kissing, implying an invitation to have sex. She explains that she doesn’t have a lot of experience. He comments that he deduced her relationship baggage from her essay. She tries to clarify that her frustration comes from the fact that nothing has really happened in her life. Raj doesn’t believe this is true, so she counters by admitting that she has had many sexual fantasies of Joe. Raj unpacks her angst, reassuring her that she will forget about Joe while he is in Europe. When Percy admits that she hasn’t enjoyed any of her sexual experiences so far, Raj reassures her that they will not have sex that night. Percy moves in with him and stays all the way to summer.

Percy describes her life with Raj using a journal that they keep together. Some of the notes in the journal are remembrances of each day. Others are reminders and messages to one another. In one journal entry, Raj comments that he misses all his friends in Los Angeles, while Percy only misses Joe. He describes their time together as pleasant. Percy and Raj are attentive to each other’s sexual needs, which includes Raj’s respect for her preference to forego intercourse.

In the summer of 2003, Percy develops a taste in R&B music, which makes her receptive to OutKast’s double-single release: “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move.” These songs prompt her to plan a house party. When Joe texts Percy an invitation to be his date at a wedding where Caroline is performing, Percy compares herself and Joe to the members of OutKast—Big Boi and André 3000—especially in the context of the double album heralding their imminent breakup. Neither member appears on the other’s side of the album, yet they continue to credit the work under their group name, signaling that they still need each other in some form. Percy procrastinates over her response to Joe’s invitation so that she can prepare for the house party.

During the party, Joe calls Percy to follow up on her response. The signal is bad, so Percy preemptively accepts his earlier invitation without realizing that he is asking to stay at her place. Percy admits that she is currently living with someone, though she assures him that it might not be serious.

Percy asks Nomi to help her dress for the wedding and expresses her anxiety over telling Raj about going to the wedding with Joe. Nomi brushes aside her anxiety.