At dawn, a steamer anchors at the mouth of the Chanta-Boun Creek to wait for cargo ships to finish passing. The captain descends from the ship’s bridge and into the saloon, making conversation with the only saloon passenger. He asks the passenger if he would mind a delay in the ship’s progress to Bangkok, as the captain wants to visit the “lonely man”. The passenger inquires what he means by the “lonely man”, and the captain draws his attention to a golden Buddha covered by a wine glass sitting on the sideboard. He tells the passenger the “lonely man” is like the Buddha and that, a long time ago, the man had asked the captain to sail with him until he found a suitably lonely place where he could find himself. They sailed along the coast, eventually stopping at an island in the Gulf of Siam that the man believed to be secluded enough. The captain marked the island on his map and promised to himself to check on the man occasionally in case he was ever ready to return home.

The captain continues the story of the “lonely man” for the passenger. He tells him of the woman who was the cause of his isolation. She was very wealthy, and although he was extremely poor, they loved each other. To demonstrate her affection for him, she elevated him to the highest living standards of society. They traveled together as well, venturing to different countries across the world. At the beginning of their romance, the man had just begun to show his genius in writing, but the woman assured him that even the beginnings were enough for her. As he drifted in luxurious complacency, he began to lose touch with that genius. He told himself he was still young and could afford to relax, but his affluent partner’s accommodations were like the wine glass over the Buddha, trapping the man in. However, the man began receiving criticism and questions from others as to when his next work would appear. He became aware of how limiting his current lifestyle was, but could not breach his comfortable bubble out of fear he would demonstrate ingratitude to his partner, who had simply wanted to care for him. Finally, the man decided to leave his partner to pursue his work, but promised to return. He wanted to give her his crowning achievement as thanks for her generosity, but both were heartbroken. The man traced his steps to various locations that had spawned his creativity and skill, as well as places he had gone to with his partner, but none sparked his genius. He then decided to find a place with no memories at all. The captain helped him set up a hut on the island, but the last time he visited the man, he was sobbing. The captain suspects he will finish the manuscript soon, though, and the man has told him before that he has fits of inspiration and sadness alike. Within a couple of days, the steamer docks at the island. When the captain returns, he is alone, holding a single sheet of paper. The man died a few weeks ago, but managed to complete his manuscript. The paper reads, “Beloved.”