Chapter 1

At the Gracie Mansion, a room full of jury members trying to decide on which memorial should be built to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. It has been two years since the attack. On one side, Claire Burwell, the only person on the jury who had lost a family member during the attacks, is trying to convince her peers that the Garden should be built. Meanwhile, Ariana Montagu, a New York artist, is pushing for a structure called the Void which is a giant, dark structure. The two go back and forth, describing why each of their designs should be deemed the winner. Claire goes as far as to suggest that Ariana knows the designer of the Void meaning Ariana would have an unfair bias.

Paul Rubin is the chairman of the jury. He is a friend of the governor which is how he obtained the role of chairman and takes pride in his leadership skills. He is a retired investment banker and appreciates the arts. It is also revealed his heritage is that of Russian Jewish peasants. Paul is shown to respect Claire more than Ariana, and even sexually find her attractive. However, Paul refuses to commit to any design as Chairman unless there is a tie.

Claire then follows Maria, an art curator and fellow juror, outside to convince her to vote for the Garden. While attempting to persuade Maria, we learn that Claire lost her husband in the Twin Towers and since then has been the poster child for the widows of 9/11. She successfully convinces Maria to vote for the Garden.

Eventually, it becomes a close deadlock, but the Garden wins in the end.

Paul then reminisces on the events of the attack. He remembers his wife, Edith, calling him and sobbing and his Muslim driver, Sami, saying, "I hope it's not the Arabs." Later Sami would ask to go back to Palestine to be with his dying father which relieved Paul who replaces Sami with a Russian driver.

In the present Paul makes a meager, sentimental speech and opens the letter to see who won the architecture competition.