Danny knows that his father is an alcoholic, but he never shields his father from his mother’s disapproval the way his sister Tory does. After their parents’ divorce, his eldest brother Chris steps up to be the ‘man of the house,’ leaving his toys behind to help his mother with chores. Tory, on the other hand, is certain that her father will come back for her; she feeds her own delusion by lying about receiving gifts and letters from him. Their father comes home to visit, many months later, but unfortunately Tory misses his visit because Chris deliberately kept the knowledge from her. She spends the next few days in her room, refusing to eat. As each member of the house struggles to cope with their new reality, their mother runs into an ‘old beau,’ Francis Wagner, who does his best to ingratiate himself with her children. Chris resents this intrusion into their lives, knowing that his position as ‘man of the house’ is at risk. He bribes Danny to get Tory to hate Wagner, knowing that her disapproval would prevent their mother from marrying the man. At first, Danny believes that there is no need for him to intervene; Tory seems to believe that Wagner is attempting to usurp the position of her father, and refuses to accept him. Wagner and their mother, however, accommodate her behaviour until she feels her resistance wearing thin. At the family Christmas party, it is revealed that Wagner and their mother are engaged. Chris chooses to sulk alone, having stolen some whiskey. The children are dropped home by their relatives. A drunken Chris marches around the house singing the bridal march, and flings a present onto Tory’s lap that he claims was bought by their father. She is struck with guilt about ‘forgetting’ her father until she realises that the cheap gift was probably purchased by Chris himself in order to manipulate her into disliking Wagner just as much as he does. When her mother and Wagner call her down to the drawing room, she stops crying, and answers that she is coming.