Isaac Presser, a young artist, stands proudly in the Teslar Galleries as he watches his friends and family pour inside to view his hanging work. They all give him their congratulations, as this is his first art show. His cousin Rebecca clings to him and presses him for details about his paintings, and soon his childhood friend Joe greets him. Joe recognizes Rebecca and strikes up a conversation with her, while Isaac is approached by many of the excited guests. Rosie, his little sister, then tells him Uncle Herman wants to see him, and Isaac hurries away. Herman had paid for the event as a way of helping both himself and his nephew earn money. Isaac finds Uncle Herman speaking with Dr. Proctor, trying to sell him one of Isaac’s paintings. When Herman introduces Isaac to Dr. Proctor, the man regards him with disdain, dismissing him as an amateur who hasn’t even sold one painting yet. Once Proctor leaves, Isaac scoffs at his pretentious nature, claiming a doctor wouldn’t know anything about art. Uncle Herman reprimands him, saying that Isaac doesn’t have to like the doctor and the doctor doesn’t have to know anything about art, but everything will be made for the better if he buys a painting. At Isaac’s disagreement, Herman snaps that this event is a product of his business. He shoos Isaac away, telling him he will handle the selling.            Isaac slips into Mr. Teslar’s office and fumes about Uncle Herman, scorning the man’s lack of knowledge in art. He thinks of Rebecca’s almost patronizing interest in his work and of the doctor cutting through him with his words. Isaac then remembers the ridicule he suffered at the Art Students League when one of his teachers lambasted him for his incorrect anatomy and inaccurate drawings. Isaac doesn’t care for precision, instead opting for putting down his feelings on the canvas. Just when he attempts to overlook the criticisms he has endured, Uncle Herman barges into the office, furious at the weak offer he has received for a painting. He and Isaac argue about how he should be speaking to his guests so they can make Uncle Herman’s investment worthwhile. Herman manages to spur Isaac to move outside, and after a moment of hesitation, Isaac makes his way back to the event. There, Joe and Rebecca catch him, saying they have to go. They flirt as they leave, and Isaac anxiously finds his mother, finding it near impossible to look at the paintings. When he finally does, he is aghast at how they hang on hooks, swaying like freshly butchered animals.