Chapter 1 begins with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, when the narrator is a student at a school in Paris, France. He has just returned from a trip to an art museum in New York City, where he met with a group of students and teachers. He tells them that he has been unable to complete his art assignments because his sketches look too much like those of a model and a model's head. He also tells the students that he will need to ask his parents for permission to go on the trip. When the narrator asks his father if he has seen his parents at home, he is told that they have been busy all day. When he asks his mother if she has seen her parents, she tells him that she has not. When she asks him if he would like to go shopping on Saturday, he tells her that he would need to eat for a long time because he has to do some sketches. He then tells her about the staff meeting that was supposed to take place that afternoon, but the meeting was canceled because of an unforeseen event. The narrator tells his father that he is not going to eat on cheap junk food because he does not want to feed his family on frozen food. He is also told that the family has been hit with a property tax bill, which means that they will have to buy a new store to keep up with the rising cost of groceries. He wonders if someone has stolen his wallet, but he is unable to tell anyone because he is afraid that the girl's face resembles a bulldog chewing a wasp. He decides to tell the teacher that he cannot go to the art museum, and then he will tell his parents.