The Killing begins at the horse races, where the audience sees the jockeys and their horses entering. The race begins, and a gentleman enters. The narrator then tells us that the man, Marvin Unger, is the only person there who isn't excited about this fifth race, because he doesn't like racing or betting. As a bookie, though, he put $5 on each horse.

Unger goes to the bar and places a paper in front of the bartender. The bartender then tells him a certain phrase, and Unger lets him take the paper and walks away from the bar. After the race, Unger makes a bet on a new horse. He feels that he doesn't really have a lot of control over the outcome, but he can't be sure until he sees what happens.

The narrator says that an hour earlier in the city, Randy Kennan...