Elligott, a businessman who recently retired to Cape Cod, receives a call from an old colleague, Zuerner. The two men never got along, but when Zuerner says he'll be on the Cape, Elligott invites him for lunch. Elligot is nervous about having to compare his life with Zuerner's, and decides to go for a drive through town. Elligott picks up a newspaper from the local store and heads to the diner for some breakfast. There, he becomes distracted by the waitress but orders coffee and then pays abruptly. He goes out to his wagon to head home, but is drawn to another home in town with beautiful Rhododendrons out front. When he arrives at the house, he gets out of his car and creeps up to the flowers. Suddenly, he reaches down and steals two of the plants. Elligott runs back to his car as Pauley's son exits the house and shouts at the thief. Elligott starts up his car and drives away, but when he raises his hand to his head, it comes back soaked in blood. Elligott assumes he must have been shot by Pauley's son and begins to drive towards the doctor's office in town. But when he gets close, he decides to drive home instead and let his wife take care of him. Elligott steers wildly down the streets, hitting potholes along the way. When he arrives at his garage, he swerves to the side and crashes through the flowers, landing the car in the marshy area. As the wagon sinks into the water, a bleeding Elligott thinks about Zuerner and the madness of the day.