Martha Fiske is comfortable in her quiet independence – the wife of a travelling soldier, sociable but first to leave a party, interested in furnishings and antiques. At a party she meets a singular soldier, Tony Jones, who draws the chatter of the crowd around him while remaining aloof and disinterested in their conversation. When he soliloquizes about each town he visits having its own particular symbol, she suggests the golden stallion weathervane atop their town’s courthouse. From that moment on, the two regard each other with individual interest, and soon enough, Tony Jones is a nightly visitor at Martha’s home. Their conversations are of an introspective nature: they frankly assess one another’s personality, taking no offense, sitting comfortably in knowing silence. Tony asks her opinion of his appearance, his weaknesses, his malaise in the company of anyone but her. He feels a need for company – asking Martha to host party after party – but expounds on the faults of all their guests at the end of the night. Martha is pleasantly surprised at the easy affection that springs between them and marvels at the intensity with which she suddenly finds herself loving him. Tony, on the other hand, remains absorbed in critiques of his own temperament and dissatisfactions; he comes to dread the caretaking Martha so easily bestows upon him. This tension carries into the night before the soldiers are asked to depart, when Martha asks insistently where he’ll be going next and Tony refuses to answer. Finally, she lays out her cards and offers to follow him, casting off her marriage, desperately arguing that there is no more but their one golden stallion. Tony runs off into the night but pauses, waiting, and Martha hurries forth.