A few men gather in a small house to discuss what makes humanity unique as compared to the rest of nature.

In intense discussion a group leader ponders aloud, asking why hermits hide and what defines outcasts, among other cerebral queries. A group of friends discusses the oddities they have seen and perceived in their lives leather-clad hermits and criminal astronauts among them. They debate the purpose of hermitage, the classification of outcasts, and the purpose of their own reflections.

Three men in a bar find themselves talking about the kind of woman they'd like to spend their lives with, and discuss indulgent sexual encounters versus the comfort of a steady, solid marriage.

On a train ride to a metallurgical conference in Chicago, a consultant tries to avoid the debate between pure and applied sciences, but he cannot avoid it when he gets cornered in the washroom by two professors and an undecided bright new recruit.

Two men sit outdoors at a restaurant during the Great Depression and gossip about the experiences and occupations of individuals they've encountered.

A writer receiving feedback from a professor on their drafts is sure that the person on the other end is a man. They wrestle with their own hidden identities until the end of their literary relationship comes with an unexpected revelation.

A teacher on the Lower East side meets a friendly man with a presence resembling a dead English poet.

In a lengthy dialogue, two men, possibly a psychologist and a patient, discuss adultery, sin, desire, and life.

A young couple obsessed with syntax sets off to meet their favorite author.

When a philosophy professor is called into a committee meeting for inappropriate behavior, she stews over what got her here, and how.