Henry travels by subway to the Flushing area of New York City, where he begins working for John Kwang. This area is heavily populated with Asians and recent immigrants from South America and Africa. Henry notices John Kwang's name posted everywhere, on shop windows and car bumpers. He also sees students sitting in small wooden booths on major corners, handing out campaign pamphlets, pins, keychains, and other political paraphernalia. The people here, Henry concludes, must love the man. Earlier, Kwang's campaign manager told Henry and other volunteers that they were just beginning to market Kwang in other sections of the city beyond Flushing and Queens, and Henry was to be involved in those areas.

Henry worked diligently but quietly in Kwang's campaign headquarters, unnoticed until  he handled a potentially rowdy situation involving Peruvians tired of how Korean grocery store owners treated them. They wanted to speak with Kwang, who was not there. The Peruvians accepted Henry as Kwang's surrogate, probably because Henry looked like Kwang. They listened to Henry and left without commotion. A few days later, Cameron Jenkins, a long-time Kwang staffer, put Henry on a new assignment working with the slightly more prestigious media advance team, led by Janice Pawlowsky.

Henry's new job entailed practicing each media event the day before it happened to ensure Kwang would be seen in the best light. Henry's specific assignment was to make sure nothing came between Kwang and the camera. During rehearsals, Janice questioned Henry about why he was volunteering. She thought him a little too old to be working for free, unlike the typical student volunteer. Henry's cover for this job was that he was a novelist collecting information about a politician running for office.

After planning the next event, Janice tells Henry to drive her car around other locations in Queens, where they stop in front of schools, homeless shelters, and other places that might be good backdrops for future events. At one place, Janice talks to some young people who tell her about a young woman with whom the current mayor, De Roos, has been having an affair. If this news gets out, Janice believes, it could help Kwang defeat De Roos. As Henry drives Janice around town, she tries to figure out ways to leak this information without damaging Kwang's campaign. Janice also makes Henry swear to keep this information secret.