Francis Weed, a husband, and father to four children, has a near-death experience on his flight home to New York. When he arrives at his suburban home in Shady Hill, no one in his devoted family seems to care. When he aims to bring up the incident at dinner, his family drowns him out. In his beautiful family home, he feels invisible; even his life is unimportant to his wife and children. His youngest children Louisa, Henry, and even little Toby fight constantly. His oldest daughter, Helen, is also detached: she is more focused on romance magazines than she is on her father. His wife, Julia, struggles to maintain her perfect household and she, too, seems distracted. At the dinner table, Francis can barely get a word in. He begins to bicker with Julia and she bursts into tears and retreats to her room. After dinner, Francis reflects on the mischievous behavior of the neighborhood dog, Jupiter. Francis calls out to Jupiter, but then Julia comes downstairs. They go to a party, and Francis reflects on his time in World War II and his childhood. He appears quite sentimental. Later, at the party the couple talk to a young man named Clayton. Clayton, whose father died in the war, critiques the neighborhood of Shady Hill for excess drinking, as he is a man of God. At the party, Francis inadvertently offends a neighbor. His wife is furious. She threatens to leave him. They have an explosive fight, yet she decides to stay and take care of her husband. The next day at work, Francis receives a call from a neighbor named Trace asking if he will hire him. He says no. After this interaction, he reflects on his life and decides that he feels just as lost he did during his war years. He decides to go to therapy. Apparently, he sounded too excited over the phone during the intake call, and the therapist called in reinforcements. After he convinces his new therapist and the security that the doctor called in that he is not suicidal, he realizes he is happy. His therapist recommends woodwork as therapy. Francis finds refuge in his new hobby. Ultimately, he feels pleased with his life. As suburbia drawls on — the children fight and the neighborhood dog causes mischief — Francis is happy.