A young boy finds a clearing while exploring the wilderness and meditatively observes the nature around him.

A young boy who lives in the prairie is excited for the rare opportunity to go into town to see the fourth of July parade and celebrations. However, his day takes a turn for the worse when the family's car will not start.

In a series of commentaries on the human condition — life, truth, happiness, death — a spinster sister takes in her dead sister’s children; a man is entranced by the endless waves which roll and crash in the ocean; a carpenter wrestles with the burden of being everyone’s confidante; a dying railroad crossing watchman shares a simple but complex wisdom.

A Canadian family drives out to the forest with their reserved, American friend. On their way home, a deadly encounter with a angry bull spurs the American into action, changing his relationship with the family.

A mother struggles to provide her daughter with comfort in an unstable home as her husband constantly searches for new employment.

When a woman finds her purse stolen, she retraces the steps of her eventful day only to realize that the encounters, and her life as a whole, are empty and purposeless.

Two boys begrudgingly spend an afternoon at a park, where their bold and embarrassing attempt to flirt with two girls leads to a troubling miscommunication.

Two siblings are thrilled at their father’s return to their home after a long week of work and, in their fervor for playtime with him, cause his well-being to take a turn for the worse.

An afternoon at the park takes an unexpected turn for a mother and her son as the well-established families that they admire turn out to be unhappy people who secretly enjoy the misery of others. As the day progresses, the mother is surprised to learn that she and her son share many negative qualities with those families.

After hearing about his son's exciting experiences on a Boy Scouts outing in the woods, a father begins to feel jealous and detached from his work at a big law firm.