An unnamed widow lives in a house in the Irish countryside, surrounded by overgrown fields of grass. Her hired worker Ned suggests that she get Bartley Crossen, a neighbor who knew her late husband well, to do it. He arranges a meeting, and a deal is struck, with Bartley planning on coming the next morning. During their conversation, Bartley mentions a girl he used to court, who Ned says was his first wife Birdie, a spirited woman who passed away shortly after their first child was born. When it's dark, the woman locks the doors and goes upstairs with her children for safety. That night, however, she hears a knock on the door. Bartley Crossen has come to try to change their arrangement regarding the fields. She invites him in but does not let him change the deal they made, being knowledgeable enough about farming to know it is in her best interest to have him keep his promise. Afterward, as she's going up to bed, she needs to turn off all the lights, but as she does, Bartley stays blocking one of the doorways. He attempts to kiss her, but she ducks past him and gets into the lit hallway, where he won't try anything more. In the light, he is ashamed and apologizes profusely. He tells the widow the story of his wife and his indebtedness to her, since she helped raise his son before he remarried. The forgiving widow doesn't blame him. Instead, she blames Bartley's suppressed memory of his dead wife. With that realization, Bartley immediately leaves.