On a May morning, an old man named Jess gets ready for the day with his wife, Eliza, who is a Quaker woman. He watches her get ready, finding her beautiful and offering a compliment, but Eliza turns pink as she is still not used to accepting compliments. The couple’s servant, Emanuela, then knocks on the door to tell them that the gravy is ready, and when the other woman leaves, Jess comments that he does not like anything about her.  The couple heads downstairs to eat breakfast with their children. When Jess comments to his fifteen-year-old daughter, Mattie, that she looks like a witch, however, she begins to cry. Jess tries to make up for his comment by saying that she looks bewitching.  After breakfast, the family rushes to prepare for the party they are hosting later in the day. Mattie goes from room to room, making sure they are clean and presentable, and Eliza expresses to her husband that she is afraid that no one will show up. Soon enough, many Quaker families, as well as Methodist families, arrive to share dinner. Following dinner, the men discuss crops while the women clean up. Everyone gathers to watch fireworks, and Mattie tells her father how much she loves them. Jess joins the younger visitors in singing a song.