Otto and Donna, two young kids, sit dozing off by the fire place. Their father, Karl Muhlbach, lets the kids stay up late just this once because their family is waiting for a guest that night. The guest’s name is Sandy Kirk, and he is the ex-boyfriend of the children’s mother, Joyce. Though the situation and their relationship is strange, Kirk cannot resist the urge to come visit because Joyce is dying.  Worsening the tension in the house, Sandy finally arrives accompanied by a young woman whom he introduces as Miss Dee Borowski. Kirk is introduced to Otto and Donna and gives them each gifts. With a face full of pain, Joyce finally arrives with the assistance of a nurse. After their brief introduction, Karl sends the children upstairs to their nursery. After some tense small talk, the adults gathers around to have some coffee and dessert together since Kirk and Borowski politely confess to having already eaten dinner before coming. Kirk shows off his charms by speaking in German sharing his interesting anecdotes. Meanwhile, Joyce stares at both Kirk and at her husband, comparing Kirk's charms and her husband's monotony in her eyes. Kirk is jealous, however, because Joyce seems to look at her husband first. A stamping comes from outside their door and Karl suddenly lets in two burly duck hunters named John Grimes and “Uncle.” Like Kirk, the two men show off their masculine charms in a way that Karl feels is quite beyond himself. What he can do for his son Otto, however, is impress the child with his knowledge about the stars. He tells Otto about the star Arcturus, in particular, which is notable for its “constancy,” and realizes that his own bland monotonous constancy is no different. Later in the night, Karl catches Joyce and Kirk sitting side by side in silence. When Joyce suddenly breaks the silence, she presses Kirk’s hand to her breast and confesses her deep desires which makes Karl furious, so he runs away to the kitchen. The night gets even more awkward, as Borowski confesses that Kirk had talked a lot about Joyce before. While she speaks, Kirk starts to realize how much he still loves Joyce and gets angry at life for treating him so miserably in tearing her away from him. The cook leaves the kitchen and announces that she will be going home. Luckily, Otto and Donna remain sleeping despite the noise. However, when Kirk and Borowski get up to leave, Otto wakes up and peeks out the window to see his father helping Kirk slide his car out the snowy driveway. After Otto lets out a noise, Karl looks up and tells Otto to go to sleep, which Otto takes as a reassuring signal that everything will be okay.