Ralston Holcombe, president of Architects' Guild of America, believes that the Renaissance period is the only one from which modern architects should draw. He designs a new Capitol building and has a reception in his house to celebrate. Keating makes the rounds, talks to Ralston's wife Kiki, spends just enough time in certain places so he isn't rude, and is about to leave when he spots Dominique Francon. Guy Francon comes up behind him and starts talking to him until he notices Keating looking at his daughter, he reluctantly introduces them and then disappears.
Dominique cautions Peter that he will declare himself in love with her, but tells him not to do it now. They talk about why she made fun of the building he designed, and why she gave high praise to the Capitol, even with all its faults, and about the Wynand papers. Then they discuss Ellsworth Toohey. While they talk, Peter thinks of Catherine as vulgar and heavy in comparison to Dominique. Dominique absolutely adores Toohey, and tells him so; then she tells Keating she likes him, and will tell her father so, although this might not be to his advantage. Prescott interrupts them and she waves him off, but then leaves Keating to go talk to someone else. He wanders around the party. Later, he offers her a ride home. She declines, and Francon drives him home. In the car, he and Guy talk about Dominique. Francon says Keating might be the man to handle her.
In Snyte's office, he tells his designers that the new client, Austen Heller, has come to their firm after two other offices whose drawings he didn't like. He wanted a building for his home that would mean something. Snyte takes the designers out to look at the property, and Roark becomes fixated on it. He visits it several times, and works late every evening to finish the sketches. His drawing is chosen, but it is given parts of the other drawings as well. Snyte shows the finished product to Heller, who doesn't like it because it lacks unity of style. All of a sudden, Roark, who has been listening in the drafting room, gets up, goes to the drawing, takes his pencil, and crosses out all of the additions, drawing it again as he first envisioned it. Snyte fires him right away, but Heller takes the drawing invites Roark to lunch, where they discuss plans for building his home. Roark says it will take eight months to complete; Heller gives him a check for five hundred dollars to cover the expense of starting up an office, and makes the check out to "Howard Roark, Architect."
