Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses violence, death by suicide, workplace abuse, and self-harm.

The novel is told by an unnamed narrator who worked on an unreleased film entitled Horror Movie. In the 30 years since its production, the film has gained a cult following online, especially after its director, Valentina Rojas, uploads the complete screenplay and several completed scenes to the Internet. A number of film producers reach out to pitch reboot concepts, though none of them are fully committed to a serious project. One of the producers, George, initially gives the narrator the impression that he isn’t important enough to merit a face-to-face meeting. When George schedules a second meeting, the narrator is surprised.

The meeting takes place at a café. The narrator shows up wearing his signature outfit: black jeans and a white t-shirt. After discussing the details of the production, George indicates that a friend of his cousin had worked on the set of Horror Movie. The narrator understands that this is a power play meant to forge a stronger connection between them. The narrator refuses the strategy and challenges George to name the friend. George fails, so the narrator calls him out on his bluff.