A teenage boy grieves for his dog, Keds, who got "smashed" by someone pushing shopping carts outside of the supermarket.

The boy stays home from school to mourn. The "one thing" he misses from school is homework, and he devises difficult algebra problems to pass the time.

As he works through problems in the kitchen, the boy watches his sister stream her face and wash her hair with a beer, mayonnaise, and egg concoction. He reflects that "she wants so badly to be beautiful."

The next day, the boy returns from a snowy bike ride and watches his father try to fix the garage door. His father assures him, "We're going to get another dog," and he boy retorts that his unhappiness isn't about Keds' death. He wishes that "everyone would stop talking about dogs."

"I can't tell how sad I really am about Keds versus how sad I am in general," he reflects. "If I don't keep things separate, I feel as if I'm betraying Keds."

That night, the boy sleeps through dinner. His mother offers to scramble him some eggs, but his sister has exhausted the supply for her shampoo. The boy storms upstairs, and his mother follows him. She tells him that he is not unique in his unhappiness.

A week later, the boy decides to return to school. To excuse his absence, he writes a note that reads, "I was unhappy and did not feel able to attend school." In Spanish class, his teacher directs him to the guidance counselor, who chastises him for his flippant note. She says the principal is willing to overlook his absences if he completes his work, and then asks if his unhappiness extends beyond his dog's death. "It's just my dog," he replies. "You'll get over this," she tells him.

That night, the boy goes to visit his sister at her job developing film at the Photo-Matica. "Are you over it all?" she asks him. "I guess so," he replies. "Good" is her response: "It was getting to be a little much."

They gaze together at the parking lot where the dog was struck by the shopping carts. The sister remarks that it's merciful her brother wasn't among those who discovered the body, but he has ceased to listen: "It's all nonsense," he thinks.

His mind goes to work on a "new problem": "Find the value for n such that n plus everything else in your life makes you feel all right. What would n equal? Solve for n."