Chapter 1 begins in New York in September 2011. Taryn, after “[f]our years of textile school” (1), works at a fabric store in New York. The shop is owned by her friend Celine, and its motto is “[e]verything beautiful has a story it wants to tell” (2). Taryn is responsible for helping customers find or match old or discontinued fabrics, which she describes as her “favorite thing to do” (3) as well as waiting on customers in the store. Celine remarks to a customer that Taryn is “brilliant” (3) at her job, which reminds Taryn that there is one fabric she’s never been able to find, though she has been searching for it for 10 years.

After picking up her 9-year-old daughter, Kendal, from school, Celine shows Taryn some pictures that have just been released on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The pictures are of Taryn and a man who helped her during the attacks. These pictures had never before been released, and Taryn is shocked. In fact, she has an anxiety attack remembering the events of the day. Her daughter is worried and confused; Taryn had never told her that she was there. The pictures show Taryn clutching a scarf, which “shone like a flame as [she] held it to her mouth” (11) and is the elusive pattern she has never been able to match.