On behalf of the townspeople of Woodenton, New York, lawyer Eli Peck meets with Leo Tzuref to notify him that he and his family must leave the town. He tells him that his plan to turn his home into a yeshivah for his 18 children violates multiple town zoning laws, as it will constitute a boarding school in a residential area. Leo challenges Eli, questioning if the laws must be followed so strictly, but Eli stands firm. He is startled by Leo’s yarmulka and the traditional dress of his children and another man identified only as the man in the black suit. This man works as an assistant to Leo, running into town for supplies or groceries and startling the townspeople with his dress. As he leaves Leo’s office, Eli sees the man in the black suit sleeping on a bench. Though he is meant to tell the man to wear different clothes, he does not wake him, and upon closer examination, he is startled by their similar age.

Eli returns home to a note from his pregnant wife, Miriam, saying that she has gone to bed. He is relieved that he does not have to discuss his current case against Leo.