In this chapter, Eliot introduces us to several of the students at the school where Eliot's daughter, Kate, is attending. Eliot introduces Kate to the other students as well, and he tells her that the school is trying to catch a student who has stolen the teacher's room and placed it on a statue outside the front door. Kate tells Eliot that she and her family have moved from the small town of Spencer, Iowa, to attend the top-rated school in the country. She asks him how his first day was, and how his daughter is doing. Eliot tells Kate that the ten students who failed the science test that day are worse than the ones in his hometown. Eliot reminds Kate that she's still on probation, and that they'll need to hire a new teacher.