The novel opens with the narrator, Nat, meeting with a young man named Edward “Ed” Shannon, a meeting that the narrator insists is “not contrived” (1). The encounter occurs in the Athleticus Club in Battersea, London, on a Saturday evening as Nat sits on a deckchair by a pool. Nat reveals that a “cloud looms over [his] professional life” following back-to-back trips overseas and that he expects to be laid off on Monday (1).

As they are introduced, Ed insists on having a private conversation with Nat. Ed asks whether Nat would want to have a badminton game with him, as Nat is the current club champion. While Nat takes the challenge as a casual suggestion, Ed insists on playing as soon as possible. Nat informs him that he won’t be free for a match for another couple of weeks.

Agreeing to the date and time, Ed leaves for the locker room, and Nat asks the other patrons if any of them have met Ed before—none have. As Nat leaves the club, the staff assure him that he will win.