An unnamed Croatian man shows up to work at the pork processing plant with two dollars to his name. Still, when the one-armed man behind the supply room realizes they share a first language, he gives him the best gear on credit anyway. The foreman, Al, takes him down to meet his crew.

The Croatian works in the scale room, where he has to push fattened hogs onto a massive scale and then drag them off again and again for eight hours every day. The gore is revolting, and the work is grueling.

After four weeks of this, the winter rush kicks in, and some new hires join them. The Croatian, the Dago, Old John, and Jumbo all work together under Al's supervision, and they are now joined by Wayne, a huge man. He is so huge, in fact, that the supply man had no gloves in his size, but even though he'll be working in freezing temperatures, he claims his hands can take it. This quickly seeds a conflict between himself and the Dago, who only has one hand.

One day, the line is busier than usual, with high tempers. The Dago, a short and belligerent man, erupts at Wayne when the bigger man takes more than his fair of the communal bologna and insults Jumbo's intelligence. As the night goes on, the Croatian learns that both men are veterans -- one of the wars against Japan, the other of Korea. Their feud continues to escalate until, just before they come to blows, Jumbo accidentally kills Wayne. The aftermath unfolds like a fever dream -- no charges are filed, given Jumbo's mental state. Still, the Croatian finds himself lost in indefinite thought as he and the Dago walk their friend outside.