A man looking for work on a lakeside town gets involved in the lives of a young couple who are in love, but the girls' parents do not approve of the relationship.

An American writer listens as the father of his friend tells the story of a writer he met in Paris many years ago who was tortured and taunted by Parisian aristocrats until he's driven mad.

A Catholic priest's typical mundane routine is interrupted by a sick woman who requests his presence in fear of her own death. However, what Father Macdowell soon understands is that the woman's wishes conflict greatly with her protective lover, who sees no importance in religious practices.

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

A young girl struggles with the idea of gender roles while helping with her father's fox farming business.

A father tells a story about his deceased wife and the wild traditions they used to have involving alcohol as well as the disapproval his mother-in-law had about their relationship.

A man in a jail tells his fellow prisoners the story of a General from the Civil War who was paranoid that two brothers whom he wronged were out to kill him.

The monotony of an accountant's life seems to be broken when he is interviewed for his favorite newspaper section.

A man fishing on a bridge speaks to a farmer who is waiting by the road to see his wife and the man his wife left him for drive by. When the two arrive, the man abandons the wife and so does the farmer, leaving the fisherman to comfort her.

While a mid-western US man waits for his family to gather in the car to finally leave his in-law's house, he wanders around the area and thinks about the importance of family, even though he and his father-in-law often disagree on values.