Art, in his 30s, traveling to Japan for a tournament. Thinking about what he is doing with his life, he finds a reader in their 20s trying to figure out their purpose in life, in the same hotel.
Both experience a sense of alienation-Art from his career and personal life, and reader from the marriage and their own sense of purpose.
They find solace in each other's company, but the bond is bittersweet, as it is temporary and marked by a sense of not quite being able to fully communicate or understand each other's worlds.
The notes with hotel stationary arrive from time to time to the room that reader shares with her husband, the concern of leaving her comfort zone, which has her replying with another note, leads them to a conversation of no more than 40 words in Art's empty bed.
• I'm stuck. Does it get easier?
– No—Yes, it gets easier.
• Oh yeah? Look at you.
– Thanks.
