Henry Applegate is a middle-aged man with a family and successful career as a museum curator in New York. He agrees to sponsor his Czech second cousin’s immigration to the U.S. after he spent years in German concentration camps working as a goldsmith and repairing watches. When his cousin, Anton, arrives, he isn’t interested in talking about much except for his experiences in the camp and ways to make money in America. Soon after they get to Henry’s house, he declares his intention to get rich and then leaves suddenly back to the city, returning to visit the Applegates every few Sundays.  Henry’s beloved daughter Lucy is interested in speaking with her cousin, and they often talk late together. One night before Christmas, her mother Gwen finds her crying in bed, and Lucy says that Anton has been telling her stories of the horrible things he went through in the camp. Henry is determined to protect his daughter’s innocence and asks Anton to stop talking about the camps, but his cousin is enraged by his ignorance and leaves.  Anton doesn’t visit again for two years, but sends the Applegates postcards of the many places around the world that he travels. He finally appears one Easter in a blue Cadillac, clearly having made money for himself. He tells the family that he’s been importing and selling cheap watches to gullible Americans, and then once again begins talking about the camps. Henry gets angry that he’s once again threatening Lucy’s innocence, and Anton defends his behavior by saying that she should not be kept unaware of the horrors in the world. After their argument, Anton leaves once again.