The Words

Clayton Hammond is doing a reading of his new book, The Words. He begins reading from the book, which is centered on the fictional character Rory Jansen, an aspiring writer who lives in NYC with his girlfriend, Dora. Rory borrows some money from his father, gets a job as a mail supervisor at a literary agency, and attempts to sell his first novel, which is repeatedly rejected by publishers.

After living together for some time, Rory and Dora marry and, during their honeymoon in Paris, Dora buys Rory an old briefcase he was admiring in an antiques store. Returning to America and having his book rejected again, Rory finds an old but masterfully written manuscript in the briefcase with a central character named Jack.