Kassoum watches the news on his old, shoddy Haier portable television, affectionately referred to as Aya, a common name for girls in the Ivory Coast (Aya and Haier are homophones in French). As he flips between channels expecting sports or reality television, he is confronted with the shocking footage of the twin towers in New York City being hit by planes. Initially, he believes there's a problem with his glitchy television. However, when an announcer explains that it's a terrorist attack, Kassoum is taken aback. The aftermath of 9/11 leads to stricter regulations in the private security industry, shifting ownership from predominantly Black to predominantly white, with Black individuals still doing most of the operative work. In this challenging time, Kassoum turns to his close friend Ossiri for support and guidance.

Ossiri and Kassoum's friendship began at the RSCI, where they met...