An unnamed woman recently started dating a man who is into hunting. Despite the fact that the hunter likes country music and supports the Republican party while she prefers rock music and is a liberal, the woman tries to make the relationship work. When she confides in her friends, they wonder what she sees in the hunter, but the woman can't help her attraction. In December, they sleep together, the woman spending most nights at his house, away from her sheep dog at home. She is a little suspicious of the hunter's missed messages on his answering machine because he doesn't play them when she's around. When the hunter talks about the future, he is vague, making it difficult to know where their relationship stands. One day, while the hunter is out of the house, a woman named Patty Coyote calls and leaves a message, wanting to hear the hunter's voice. A week before Christmas, the woman asks the hunter about what he thinks about monogamy, causing the man to get defensive. The woman tells him she understands and says she loves him, to which he responds awkwardly. On the winter solstice, someone comes to visit the hunter, who the woman knows is Patty Coyote though the hunter wouldn't say that, and he asks the woman to stay home for the night. The hunter gives the woman chocolates to make her feel better, but she feeds them to her dog. The hunter tells Patty Coyote he's going to work but goes to see the woman instead. He tells the woman anything she wants to hear in order for things to work out. The next day Patty leaves. The woman invites the hunter over to her house to decorate her Christmas tree. Then they put on some music and dance together. The woman hears the howl of her lonely dog who is chained up outside, but she is happy, knowing the nights are getting shorter now.