A husband is visiting his wife in a mental hospital and recalls the events that led to her hospitalization: after they bought a home in rural Indiana, the stress from the money they owe and the energy it is taking to fix the house up takes a toll on both of them. They are pregnant with their third child, despite agreeing to stop at two, and the doctor bills are adding up, while the husband is the only one working. The wife stays home all day, frantically trying to clean the house that seems impossible to keep clean. Their nosy neighbor, Mrs. Cheever, puts an extra strain on them, letting them know that the house was not a good investment, especially at the price they bought it for. The house is prone to disaster, with sewage problems, furnace failures, and just overall poor build. One night, a branch from a willow tree out front crashes into their baby's room, breaking the window and making a hole in the ceiling. At the height of their stress, the husband tells the wife that whatever he feels for her, it is not love. Shortly later, the husband hits his wife, irritated from work. The wife begins trying to separate from him, getting permission from a judge for a temporary separation, which kicks the husband out of the house. She wants a divorce but he refuses to give her a cent to pay for it. One day when he's supposed to visit the kids, he instead gets stopped by a cop, and his attitude lands him in jail for the night. He calls his wife and explains, but she is frustrated, saying he doesn't know what he's doing to her. When he gets home, he sees that no one is there, and Mrs. Cheever explains to him that she dropped the kids off at the county home and checked herself into a hospital. Two months into her stay, she is ready to leave, and the couple has agreed to try things out again. Though the husband still doesn't love her, he feels that there is some force that brings them together.