Arthur Fidelman, a failed painter, arrives in Rome to write a critical study of the Italian Renaissance painter Giotto, the first chapter of which he guards in a pigskin briefcase. Wonderstruck by the ancient ruins and their history, he notices a skeletal, shabbily-dressed man regarding him with an odd, “want[ing]” look. The man, who shares Arthur’s Jewish heritage, introduces himself as Shimon Susskind and offers his services as a guide. He claims to have lived in Israel, Germany, Hungary, and Poland, and is “always running.” Assuming that the man is a beggar, Fidelman hands him a half dollar, but Susskind says that what he could really use is a suit. Fidelman brushes him off and gets into a taxi, though he has an uncanny feeling that Susskind is somehow riding with him.

Fidelman checks into a hotel and begins a daily routine of studious research at Rome’s libraries and museums. After a week, Susskind knocks on his hotel room door and repeats his request for the suit, listing his many woes. Fidelman again refuses. He asks sarcastically if he is “responsible” for Susskind, who answers that his shared Jewish heritage does indeed obligate him. Angered, Fidelman stands his ground on the issue of the suit and finally gets rid of Susskind by giving him a little money, then packs his things and moves to a different hotel the next day.