Mathew is a forty-year-old British man who has unconsciously chosen to dedicate his life to the shop where he works. After his boss asked him to step up as a manager, Mathew made it his business to oversee all the store's operations. Because of his job, he has seldom given marriage or romance a single thought in all his life. One day, a regular named Rita comes into the store, asking Mathew if he has found a bag that she may have left earlier that day. He searches the store and, though he doesn't find it, he assures her that if it is in his store, it will be found. Rita tells him that the bag carries one of her most beloved items: an ivory knife that her friend had given her. Once he finds the bag, Mathew personally drives it over to her house. There, Mathew meets her dearly beloved dog, then they share dinner. Rita and Mathew both reveal that they are somewhat lonely in their lives, whether from lack of love or friends, and they begin sharing meals together regularly. Rita is one of the first women Mathew has ever shared a close bond with, and from his interactions with her, he attempts to understand women as a whole. But, even weeks into their friendship, Mathew can't comprehend her desires. During one lunch, Rita suggests that the two go to America together, but Mathew softly declines, encouraging her to go alone. Upon leaving, he returns to his empty home. Believing that he has already missed the point of his life where he was supposed to marry, Mathew instead contents himself to die.