After one of her father's notebooks is recovered from an icecap, a woman recalls the love story between her mother, a rural woman who always wanted adventure, and her father, an adventurous explorer who disappeared on a voyage to the Arctic.

An aspiring artist goes to work for a businessman, hoping he can earn enough to follow his dream. Instead, he is forced to learn that dreams are not as important to the world as money.

A stenographer discovers that her fiancé does not share her ideas about married life, but excited by the very idea of marriage, she lets go of her personal and professional ambitions for his sake.

A high school English teacher copes with his disappointing reality by imagining a secret life for himself at a distinguished university campus - but he is shocked and furious when one of the students that he looks down upon has a similar method of escapism.