In the year 1919, an old woman named Margaret “Peg” Merns and an old man named Jarvis Fitzgerald discover a pamphlet for a meeting of Americans who support the cause of Irish Independence. Jarvis asks if Margaret will go to the meeting, but Margaret says that she is not welcome — she cites the fact that she cannot vote as evidence for women’s exclusion from political engagement. Jarvis then invites her to see a boat with him, but Margaret declines. Jarvis asks Margaret if she will marry him. She thinks of her late husband and declines his proposal. After Jarvis leaves, Margaret thinks about when she lived in Ireland and worked for an English woman. She then thinks of her wedding night with her late husband Michael, and of her children who died. Margaret's son Tom visits. He tells her that he thinks she should marry Jarvis. Later, Margaret goes to a funeral for a man to whom she has no relation. While at the funeral, she meets Jarvis. He asks if she has changed her mind, and she tells him that she has and that she will marry him. Later that night, Margaret has dinner with her son Tom and his family. She tells them of her plan to marry Jarvis. After dinner, Margaret goes to a nearby canal and drowns herself.