A man and his friend named Joe, aspiring classical musicians, enter the Taj Mahal Theater one cold night for an audition. Inside, an old man with a potbelly escorts them to the elevator for the audition room. As they walk, the man carries the flute while Joe carries the sheet music as his accompanist. On the seventh floor of the theater, they enter a small and crowded room. On the information card for auditioners, the man writes his age as two years older than his actual age. The man grimly criticizes the tryouts before him. These include several saxophone players, a comedic Italian man singing love songs, and a teenage contortionist performing in old and revealing clothing. During their turn, the keys of the man's flute keep sticking together, and the audition piano is a half-tone flat. They finish their performance, and the announcer detachedly remarks that they played well. The man feels like he did not perform dramatically enough, and leaves the audition disappointed. When he and Joe head down to the theater entrance, they stall inside to avoid going out into the cold. They walk into the old man's office, dropping their sheet music at his desk as they hang about. The old man walks in and perks up at seeing the sheets. He advises the boys to cut out a certain page where the music repeats its theme too many times. The boys are skeptical, and the old man pulls out a little red book from his pocket titled the American Association of Professional Musicians. He points at his name, Emil Durkheim, in the "E Flats Clarinets" section, revealing he is now retired. He begins to appear sorrowful at thinking of his past, and the man feels angry and ashamed when looking at the miserable retired musician. After saying goodbye, the man feels paralyzed by the dreadful thought that he is an overweight, middle-aged bum with a crummy old flute.