Ted works at a medieval-themed amusement park as a part of the janitorial staff. On TorchLightNight at the park, Ted goes to the bathroom and sees his boss, Don Murray, rape his co-worker Martha. Martha tells Ted not to tell anyone—as her husband, Nate, would die if he found out.

The next morning, Ted finds a note in his locker telling him to go see his boss in his office. Martha is in the office when Ted arrives. The boss, Don Murray, explains that he has given Martha a thousand dollars to make sure their story is straight. He asks Martha to repeat the story until she says it correctly. What happened was a “voluntary fling.”

Murray continues by telling Ted that Martha is also receiving a promotion, not because of the incident, but because of her hard work. Ted also receives a promotion, and moves out of Janitorial and into Pacing Guard. In this role, he is a medieval reenactor during entertainment shows.

Ted is the only one working in his family, so his job is very important to him. His mother is ill and needs a new bed; his sister is shy and needs professional help; his father is injured and needs a back brace. Ted hopes the promotion will help his family.

In town, Ted stops by Nate and Martha’s. Ted covers for Martha when Nate mentions her aggressive behavior. Martha appreciates him keeping the secret.

At work, Ted is forced to take pills that will make him more chivalric for his reenactment. They do not take effect until midway through the show. Martha is also acting in the show. When Martha interacts with him, Ted’s demeanor changes. He becomes somber. In an aside, Martha tells Ted that she is over it and that he needs to drop it. Ted refers to her in melancholy terms. Martha tries to calm Ted down. Ted apologizes to Martha for his neglect. Don Murray steps forwards and tells him he will fire him if he does not get it together.

Ted realizes he must damper his feelings by telling the truth. He tells everyone in the audience about Don Murray raping Martha and his bribing her with money and a promotion. Ted is thrown out. He wanders towards home as the drugs wear off.

He realizes what happened and how much gossip is going to spread. He feels terrible about the entire situation. He walks to the banks of the river and watches the sunset reflect on the water in silence.