Clark Austen is a new and mysterious addition to the English department at Hilberry University. Clark has attended prestigious universities in the past, dresses well, and is enigmatic at faculty gatherings. The ensemble of male faculty members and their wives think highly of him upon introduction, and in his absence whisper about the evident queerness he displays.
Two pairs of wedded couples take note of him, first the Packers and then the Ambroses. Both relations quickly turn sour, however, as Clark gets into drunken altercations with each when his gayness is indirectly mentioned. When Natalie Packer hints at it and expresses her liberal views on the matter, Clark insults her and storms off, maniacally. At a dinner party at the Ambroses, their child senses Clark's strangeness and jokes about it to his mother, which sets Clark off, turning violently on his coworker, Frank Ambrose. Though Clark apologizes profusely to all parties for both incidents, the faculty and wives begin to think differently of him, questioning even his humanity. As the heat of the incidents die down, a new rumor spreads between the couples, as they observe Clark on multiple occasions with a much younger man, seen around town. Then, Clark invites the ensemble to a dinner party in his apartment for the first time, and introduces them to his nephew, Carlie, who is living with him indefinitely, and whom they have seen Clark around with. Again, the night ends disastrously, as Clark becomes increasingly agitated and after dropping and shattering a casserole, he is set off, screaming at Carlie. The couples escape the apartment brashly, afraid of the threat of violence to them or between Clark and Carlie, who seem to drop the facade of a familial relationship. The ensemble maintains their friendly relations, though, sure to wish one another a happy new year as they frantically pack into cabs.