Novel Without a Name opens with the main character, Quan, lying awake and contemplating spirits and death, particularly with regards to a recent incident in which his military unit stumbled across the dead bodies of six mutilated girls and had to bury them. After eventually falling asleep, Quan is awakened in the morning by Luy, one of the members of his platoon. Luy has seen an orangutan and wants to hunt it for meat. Quan remembers previous meals made from apes and expresses horror at the idea of eating anything that so closely resembles a human being. His platoon expresses no such disgust, as they are starving and care little about what they eat.

While hunting with Luy, Quan slips into remembering his mother giving birth to his little brother years ago. He distinctly remembers his brother’s “little hands,” similar to the hands of an orangutan. Luy shoots the orangutan, then discovers that the animal is actually one of his and Quan’s platoon-mates, Phien, who was out collecting parachutes. At first, Quan threatens to shoot Luy in retribution, then insists he cannot. As only the two of them know what has occurred, Quan decides to keep the accidental death a secret, in order to protect Luy.