R. spends his days working for an international human rights organisation which offers him little besides ennui and angst. The tedium of the routine drains him of the resources he would need to become a writer, while the facelessness of the cold, wealthy city provides little nourishment to his hyperactive imagination. Various people had predicted a great future for him, yet as things stand, R.'s horizon seems stubbornly stuck in the permanent present. Then, one day in the late fall, R. learns that he has been invited to a job interview. His entire world is turned upside down; everyday activities become filled with meaning once again. R. burns with the desire to inform his family and friends, discovers a new form of intimacy with the city's people, and even contemplates the prospect of true love. Only one thing is stopping him: he doesn't want to tempt fate. As the date of the interview inches closer and closer, R. becomes increasingly more protective of the details of the new position. And as the city slowly turns from glacial coldness to an atmosphere of constant threat, he begins to encounter some very strange people.