After the death of his wife, Professor Zalkind returns to New York from Miami on a stormy night full of unlucky occurrences. Upon arriving in New York, he realizes he has left his muffler and woolen sweater at home, and as he gets in a taxi, he cannot remember the address of the bank he needs to visit. He does, however, have many reasons for visiting: to meeting with the editor of his upcoming book; to see Hilda, the only living cousin of his late wife; to withdraw his late wife’s jewelry and other important documents from the bank, which he read had recently been broken into; and to visit a urologist.  Professor Zalkind exits the taxi near where he thinks the bank should be and tries to call Hilda from a public phone but cannot get through. He then walks until he comes across a bank and asks the guard if it is the one he is looking for. The guard explains that Zalkind’s old bank has merged with another, but all of his items and savings should still be there. Professor Zalkind begins to search for his bankbook but realizes he has left all of his belongings in the telephone booth. Then, his vision darkens and he sees a golden eye that grows in size; he decides he is going to die but ultimately does not. He tries to return to the phone booth but sees that it is no longer there.  Professor Zalkind goes back inside the bank, and a guard helps him get to the safe-deposit boxes. At the entrance, the clerk at the desk recognizes Professor Zalkind and tells them he has nothing to worry about: the debts he owes the bank are covered by the interest in his account. The clerk asks Zalkind for his key, but he says that he doesn’t have it. The clerk exclaims that the key is right there on his key chain, and Professor Zalkind is able to get his wife’s jewelry. After collecting his things, he feels tired and falls asleep.  Upon waking, Professor Zalkind notices that the clerk is shaking his shoulder and that he has urinated on the floor. The clerk says that a woman has found his briefcase, and Professor Zalkind thanks the woman, Esther, for her honesty. When he mentions that he has no place to stay, she invites him to her apartment and runs him a warm bath. During the night, Professor Zalkind wakes up to use the bathroom but feels his body fall against the floor. He wakes up in the hospital, and Esther tells him he will soon be a new man.