Beatrice Trueblood is in her mid-thirties and on the eve of her second marriage to a very rich man. Mrs. Onslager was hosting Trueblood and an array of guests at her and her husband’s home in Newport, CT. One morning, they are all on the lawn when Trueblood comes out of the house. The group speaks to her, but she does not seem to hear them. She asks if they are playing a silent game.

Mrs. Onslager and the crew encourage her to go to a slew of doctors. No one can explain the cause of Beatrice’s deafness. They boil it down to fate, though Beatrice does not deserve this fate. She is the child of alcoholic and argumentative parents. Her last marriage, which lasted seven years, was verbally abusive and ended in divorce. Beatrice, therefore, had an extreme aversion to yelling and arguments.

Later, Mrs. Onslager is recounting the event to friends, some of which had arrived recently from Europe. She tells her friend Jenny Fowler that Beatrice ended her engagement with her fiancé after becoming deaf. Her fiancé, Marten ten Brink, did not fight for her to stay. Most people assume it is her deafness that ended the engagement, though Douglas Clyden believes Beatrice did not want to marry Marten. Though Marten was extremely rich, he was quite boring.

While Mrs. Onslager is gossiping with her friends, her husband wishes he had the ability to temporarily not hear. Mr. Onslager considered Beatrice’s deafness to himself. The night before the incident, they had all gone to a ball. After the ball, Beatrice and her husband were going to go on a walk on the shore. Mr. Onslager awoke in the early morning to hear Beatrice and her husband speaking on the front steps outside. He looked out the window and saw the two. He knew they had been having a quarrel during the party—and throughout the duration of the evening. He saw the two disgruntled in appearance. He heard parts of the argument, including Beatrice, saying that she “would not hear another word."

The following morning, Beatrice presented herself on the lawn, and she could not hear. That same day, a few of the guests thought they heard depth bombs being tested, though they were unsure of why they would be being tested on a Sunday afternoon.

The group of gossiping women continues to talk about Beatrice and whether she should see a psychoanalyst. They do not want her to be mental. They wonder if she has given up. They know she is now living in New York City. The group suggests that Mr. Onslager go to Beatrice and propose that she is mental. Mr. Onslager does not think he has a right to go but agrees as he is simply curious to see Beatrice and learn more about the encounter which he witnessed.

Mr. Onslager arrives at Beatrice’s apartment which is run-down and not in line with the bourgeoisie lifestyle of the Onslagers and their gossiping crew. They communicate via writing. He invites her to come to stay with him and his wife. She says no because disaster makes his wife, Priscilla Onslager, cry. He asks her about her experience as a deaf person. She explains that her wish to be deaf had been granted—and that disturbed her. Onslager was in disbelief. Beatrice further explains that she elected to be deaf after an argument with Marten and a desire to no longer be engaged to him. This choice became permanent. She explains her aversion to marital quarreling and jealously of vocal people due to her childhood. Thus, she became averse to Marten and could not marry him, though a part of her longed to due to his extreme wealth. She says she had heard from Marten since they broke off their engagement and that he said he would forgive her if she was able to be cured and forgot about her last marriage. Mr. Onslager says not to give him a second chance and to focus on what to do about her life. Beatrice tells him that he must go and that tomorrow she will be starting with an analyst.

Beatrice is eventually able to regain her hearing. She falls in love with a chemical researcher. Although he is not wealthy, she loves him. His name is Arthur Talbot. They go to Newport for a weekend to visit the Onslagers and their other ‘friends.’ Neither Jack nor Beatrice ever mentioned their conversation. Mrs. Onslager became a supporter of psychiatry. Mrs. Onslager says she had never seen Beatrice so radiant; Mr. Onslager thinks he had never seen her so drained of joy.

One Sunday during the trip, Beatrice and Arthur are sitting facing the shore. It was a beautiful day. Mr. Onslager approached them as he overhears Arthur arguing with his wife. Arthur insists that a good scientist ought to be bad-tempered. Beatrice and Mr. Onslager exchanged a knowing glance.