Mr. Chiu, a university lecturer, and his new bride are traveling home from their honeymoon. Mr. Chiu is looking forward to returning to work following the two-week respite. He has been worrying about the state of his health, stemming from a previous case of hepatitis, over the course of the trip. As the story opens, Mr. Chiu and his bride have lunch at an outdoor table near the Muji Train Station. Two policemen, one tall and skinny and the other older and stouter, are at a nearby table drinking bowls of tea. Mr. Chiu does not notice that the two policemen periodically glance over at him. The scene seems to be an idyllic, everyday one, with food vendors selling their wares from stalls, young women promoting the local hotels with available rooms and various amenities, and people lounging at the feet of a nearby statue of Chairman Mao. 

Without warning, one of the two policemen gets up and throws his bowl of tea at Mr. Chiu and his bride. The tea lands on their feet, getting their sandals wet and ruining them. When Mr. Chiu protests, the policemen deny that the incident happened. They say that Mr. Chiu has absolutely no proof that they threw tea at him, contrary to the evidence of Mr. Chiu’s own eyes. The policemen further say that it was likely Mr. Chiu’s own actions that led to him and his bride now having wet shoes. Mr. Chiu continues to protest while citing his status as a respected lecturer. He threatens to take the matter to higher judicial authorities and the country’s national newspapers if need be. The incident escalates as several people gather to watch. The policeman punches Mr. Chiu and pistol-whips him, and Mr. Chiu is arrested and taken to the local police station. 

Mr. Chiu is kept in a cell at the police station for some time. He passes the time taking in the various sights and sounds he can see and hear from his window. He is somewhat restless but does not fear being ill-treated by the higher authorities within the police station as long as he remains calm and rational. Mr. Chiu is taken before the chief of police, who is accompanied by several aides including one man described as having a face like a donkey. The chief tells Mr. Chiu that he is facing several charges of disturbing the public peace and being a saboteur. To Mr. Chiu’s surprise, the chief presents fifteen written statements from people who claim to have witnessed Mr. Chiu causing a public disorder. Additionally, Mr. Chiu is surprised that the authorities have already compiled a great deal of information about him because Mr. Chiu has never visited Muji before, and his home city is three hundred miles away.

The chief tells Mr. Chiu he will be released if he signs a written confession. In the confession, Mr. Chiu will be made to admit that he is in fact a saboteur and has acted in a manner unfitting his station in society. He will take action to make amends, including educating himself on the ramifications of his misdeeds. Mr. Chiu, continuing to state that none of the allegations in the confession are true, refuses to sign. As a result, he is to be kept in the cells over the weekend and until the following Monday. During his time in the cells, Mr. Chiu worries about his health. He is not allowed to see a doctor or any other medical professional while he is kept at the police station. Additionally, he does not have any of his medications with him. Besides his concerns about hepatitis, he also suffers from heart disease. But when he voices these concerns to a guard, he is only told to stop worrying and that he will not die over the weekend. 

On Monday morning, Mr. Chiu hears the sounds of the police beating someone in the prison courtyard. He looks out and recognizes the man as Fenjin, who once was a student in one of Mr. Chiu’s classes. To his disbelief and disgust, he realizes that Fenjin is the man his bride sent to assist him and provide legal counsel. He mentally curses his bride for her lack of common sense. He wonders why she had not gone to the university’s security services or hired a defense lawyer experienced in dealing with the police. Fenjin is a lawyer, but not in the field Mr. Chiu needs. Fenjin works for a small law firm that mainly deals with matrimonial law. 

The police’s treatment of Fenjin is astonishingly brutal. They handcuff him to a tree, beat him, and pour water over his head. Mr. Chiu watches, trying to decide what to do since he knows that it is for his sake that Fenjin is in this predicament. When brought before the chief again, Mr. Chiu relents and agrees to sign the forced confession. Mr. Chiu and Fenjin leave the police station, go to a nearby café, and order bowls of tea to drink. It is then that Mr. Chiu begins to do something that Fenjin finds rather strange. He goes to a series of eateries and cafes around Muji, most in close range of the police station. At each one, he orders a number of dishes but takes no more than a few bites or sips from each before moving on. As Fenjin watches this, he mentally takes note of Mr. Chiu’s jaundiced, puckered skin and his angry mood. One month later, Muji is struck with a mass outbreak of acute hepatitis. The outbreak sickens eight hundred people and kills six of them, including two children. The outbreak's source is deemed a mystery.

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