- An unnamed narrator is driving through a "city" (although she immediately undermines its claims to being one). Apparently, the narrator used to live around here.
- We learn that she's in the car with a married couple named David and Anna (it's their car they're driving) and her boyfriend, Joe. They've been driving several hours.
- It turns out that David and Joe are making a movie called Random Samples. It will consist of random stuff they feel like photographing (the title checks out, then). When they run out of film, they're going to cut it together.
- They stop at a place called the Bottle Villa, which is a house made entirely out of bottles (cozy). The boys get some film of it.
- Then they enter the company town, from which they are trying to find the road to somewhere else—however, the way the narrator knew to go is blocked.
- She stops into a store to ask directions and buy some ice cream.
- The narrator is a bit antsy. It seems she's coming home to find her father (to whom something has happened). She's kind of wishing she could just go back to "the city" and never find out what happened to him.
- They then come to a gas station with some stuffed moose dressed in people clothes. They of course get out of the car to check it out.
- They are almost to "the village" when the chapter closes.