Elsa is newly married to a talented older scientist who caught her eye when she edited one of his pieces for her magazine. At his offer of marriage, she quit her job and moved into his beach house to attend to his domestic requirements, which are specific and lengthy. As he continues to wax on about his own achievements, she finds herself increasingly annoyed with both him and the pelicans on the beach, which fill her with an unknown dread. She wants to assure her former coworker that she is happy with her decisions, but is unable to find the right words. Subconsciously, she realizes that the pelicans remind her of her husband’s own greed and self-absorption.