Staus has lost his wife, and he has no idea how to react. The funeral and the subsequent luncheon are awkward, but his huge, extended Slovak-American family has fun anyway. When he and Martha were married, Staus spent a lot of time fixing and remodeling -- his car, their house, his siblings' appliances and houses, and so on. Losing his wife doesn't change that. After the first few days of itinerant mourning, Staus settles into a routine, quitting his job at the meatpacking plant and spending lots of his time at the houses of his sisters, Irene and Kate, a few doors down. One day, after he decides he's not ready to tend his wife's grave, Irene and Kate both mention that their awnings need repainted. Staus agrees to help. After he finishes Kate's awning, the time slips away from him. Fixing his car, going swimming, and tending Martha's grave consume all his time. The latter in particular consumes him; he spends hours lovingly building a shrine to his wife and remembering their life together. When they get back, he finds Irene taking care of the awning herself — she resents that Staus has taken so long. He repaints it anyway, and they make up soon afterward. Later that week, Staus's other siblings come over from the next town. Sara Antonszik, his sister's deceased husband's sister, is there, too. The others have been trying to set her up with Staus, but he will have none of it. The next day, he tends Martha's grave again, this time with Irene. Along with Kate, they then start on some cookies for dinner.