On her first day at Gruber & Gruber, Helen consults with Ruth O'Malley who wants the 'vasectomy clause' enforced in her mother's will. The clause states that Ruth's brother will only inherit his share if he has a vasectomy.

Helen meets with a woman who is demanding power of attorney over her mother, and attends her ex-husband William's writers' festival run by literary interlocutor Lindy Baxter-Smythe.