On a Tuesday morning, Mrs. McClure's gardener rings her doorbell to let her know he is starting work. She stumbles to the door, nauseous and achy, greets her gardener, and decides to make some coffee. Instead of coffee, though, she searches for any remnants of alcohol in her house. She sips from random glasses. With a slight buzz, Mrs. McClure heads back to bed, where her husband, the Colonel, is still asleep in a drunken stupor. When they both awaken in the afternoon, Mrs. McClure checks the mail strewn about her front hallway. She opens an envelope and finds a letter from her son's ex-girlfriend, Emily. Mrs. McClure's son, Randy, died while serving in the military, but Emily was very close with the McClures before Randy's death. Now married with two children, Emily and her family plan to drive through in two days. Mrs. McClure begins to clean the filthy house bit by bit. Both she and the Colonel vomit from their hangovers. Mrs. McClure goes to the store to buy some beer and prepares dinner. The next day, she continues to clean and drinks throughout the day. When finally the day arrives, she heads to the store to buy four bottles of vodka, in case Emily wants any, and some food for dinner. In the afternoon, Emily and her husband Don arrive with their two children. The children comment on Mrs. McClure's funny smell. The two couples talk for a bit in the living room; the Colonel and Mrs. McClure refill their drinks twice. After a short while, Emily and Don say goodbye. Both Mrs. McClure and the Colonel cry as the family leaves.