The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Cha, Frances. If I Had Your Face. Ballantine Books. 2020. Kindle.

The novel is told in the present-tense by four rotating narrators who occasionally slip into the past-tense in order to give details about their past. The first chapter is narrated by Ara. She lives on the fourth floor of the Color House, which is a cheap office-tel in the middle of downtown Seoul. Her roommate, Sujin, grew up with her in Cheongju. Sujin was an orphan at the Loring Center, and Ara was the daughter of poor servants. They moved to Seoul together in order to escape their small-town life, in which they were involved in gangs. Ara was left mute after an incident she refuses to talk about, but she works as a hairstylist, and Sujin works at a nail salon.

One night, Sujin invites Kyuri over for drinks. Kyuri is a salon girl at Ajax Salon, an exclusive club in which the best escorts in Korea work. Kyuri is incredibly beautiful thanks to the plastic surgery she had done at Cinderella Clinic, the most prestigious plastic surgery clinic in the country. Sujin has been saving up for surgery because she hates her face and wants to work as a salon girl. Kyuri reluctantly gives her a recommendation to see Dr. Sang, who performs a series of surgeries on Sujin. Ara visits her in the hospital and holds her hand as she cries.

In the second chapter, Kyuri narrates. She lives across the hall from Ara and Sujin with Sujin’s childhood friend, Miho. Kyuri works as a salon girl so that she can send back money to her widowed mother, but she is unhappy with her life.

In the third chapter, Wonna narrates. She lives on the first floor of the Color House with her husband. She does not love him, but he is a kind and gentle man. She married him mostly because his mother was dead. After the experience she had growing up with an abusive grandmother who forced her mother out of Wonna’s life, Wonna wants nothing to do with a mother-in-law. Wonna spends most of her time alone, watching the girls upstairs and wishing she could be one of them.

The fourth chapter is narrated by Miho, who lives with Kyuri in the Color House. She grew up in the orphanage with Sujin, but left the small town with a prestigious scholarship to attend SVA in New York City. While in college, she started working for a Korean socialite, Ruby, who owned an art gallery. Ruby was fabulous and exciting, and she had the kindest and most handsome boyfriend: Hanbin. Miho befriended both of them and started spending all her time with them. One night, she kissed Hanbin. Shortly after, Ruby killed herself and Miho started dating Hanbin. Back in Korea, Miho was attempting to make a name for herself in the art world without the help of the wealthy and connected Hanbin, whose family already resents her for being a “nobody.”

The chapters continue to rotate in order through the narrators for the next ten chapters. Ara is obsessed with the K-pop band Crown, and the singer Taein. When she learns he is dating another K-pop star, Candy, she becomes extremely upset. Kyuri meets up with her old friend, Nami, whom she used to work in the red-light-district with. The two have drinks, then meet up with Miho and Hanbin. After Kyuri and Miho go home, Hanbin and Nami hook up. Nami comes to Kyuri’s apartment and tells her what happened. Kyuri decides not to say anything to Miho for the time being. Wonna gets pregnant, but is terrified that she will have another miscarriage since she already had three that year.

Ara decides to go home for the Lunar New Year holiday. She travels with Sujin and Miho, who both visit the Loring Center to give the orphans treats. Kyuri starts seeing one of her clients more than all the rest. She thinks she is immune to the absurdities of love at this point in her life, but she accidentally falls in love with him. When he stops seeing her, she goes to the hotel where he is having his engagement dinner to see his fiancé. Enraged, he attempts to have her whole salon shut down and nearly gets her fired. She begins having terrible headaches every time she drinks, but she cannot remain sober because she must drink with her clients as a part of her job. Miho works on an art exhibition about Ruby, whom she constantly thinks about. Kyuri tells her that Hanbin has been cheating on her. Miho accepts the news and then decides to get revenge on him by using his wealth and connections to advance her art career. Wonna’s pregnancy continues smoothly. Her husband reveals that he has lost his job, and she learns her boss will only give her three months for maternity leave. They split up, and Wonna is alone in her apartment when she starts having horrible pain in her stomach. Ara hears her screaming and runs downstairs to help. She makes her tea and talks with her until she feels better.

Kyuri learns that Taein is coming to her salon, so she invites Ara to come and meet him, since she knows how obsessed Ara is. When Ara gets there, Taein is indifferent and Ara is humiliated. She runs home with Sujin holding her hand. Sujin’s surgery heals and she is revealed to be beautiful. She has a checkup at the Cinderella Clinic and tells the doctor that he should hire Kyuri to be his new manager. Kyuri goes on an interview at the clinic and decides she wants to leave the salon. After her interview, she meets her friends. They go home and find Wonna on her porch. She shows them an ultrasound image of her baby. They all order fried chicken and go inside together.