Monica, Tess, and Andrew sit on a Chicago park bench reading the Chicago Daily Guardian, a tabloidesque newspaper with the motto: ""If It's The Truth, It's News."" The angels cringe at the sensational headlines and Tess notes that there is more to the truth than just the ""facts"" these articles portray. According to Tess, Liz Bradley, the editor of the Guardian, is suffering from a contagious disease, cynicism. She is Monica's assignment. When Monica arrives at the Guardian to interview for a reporter job, she meets eager young Ray, who works as a gofer while awaiting his big break as a reporter. Liz is impressed with Monica and hires her, assigning her to a story about possible shady dealings between Mayor Hunley and some Taiwanese officials. Liz teams Monica with the Guardians' star reporter Lauren, who is also Liz's younger sister whom Liz raised. Lauren feels that Liz is to obsessed with her work, and as a result, the sisters fight frequently. Soon after Lauren and Monica