A man named Laurence MacLean has a dream that he is walking down a road called Troy Street, which is in Geneva, Michigan, during the winter. He walks alongside a woman, who he believes to be his wife. They make their way through the city and he points out many destinations to the woman until they reach a home. He kneels down to kiss the ground and suddenly feels a wave of sadness hit him. Then MacLean wakes up from his dream, feeling very nostalgic. He is unsure of who the woman is as he has been married twice. Geneva is where he grew up and he wonders if his dreams are of his childhood. However, MacLean is filled with wonder about what the true meaning of the dream is.

In the dream, he remembers that he used to visit his grandparents. His paternal grandparents are Grandma and Grandpa MacLean and his maternal grandparents are Dr. Read and Mother Read. He feels a strong connection to these individuals' houses as he grew up with the Reads' when his parents died.

MacLean thinks of a peculiar man that lived in his town named Tom Corey. His grandmother used to warn him of Tom because he was strange. Tom dressed like a pirate and would walk to places quickly and with purpose in his step. He had lived on Troy Street since before World War I. Mother Read always told Laurence that he should never accept anything from Tom. Many people have rumors about his previous occupations such as sailors and circus performers. Some say that he worked in a fruit packing plant too.

MacLean realizes that the ground he had kissed was in front of Tom Corey's front yard. As a child, he feared Tom and also the Great War. Laurence often frequented the Read's house to read books. He thought of his father and how devout of a religious woman MacLean's mother was. She taught him many religious sayings and verses. She was always talking about how nature kept things in order and that God grew many plants to keep the order of life.

MacLean also thinks about a childhood story he once read--a book about Ozma of Oz who was a princess. He always wanted to be the princess in the story, but he was quickly reminded of his masculinity by his father, who he resembled in many ways physically.

At one point in his life, MacLean felt tempted to leave his hometown. There were many summer travel destinations to Chicago and other cities that many religious people went to. As he got older, he tries cigarettes and alcohol and one day, begins working for Tom Corey. MacLean's grandfather, Dr. Read, asks him to take over for Tom one day, saying that Tom has sprained his ankle and is unable to do his daily chores. At first, MacLean finds this task strange especially since his grandma used to warn against it.

At first, MacLean finds the man to be very rude. Dr. Read talks about how much of a character Tom used to be and that he used to talk for hours about Africa. MacClean tries to get Tom to talk about Africa, but he doesn't. Eventually, Tom's ankle injury heals and he becomes more outgoing. They play games of blackjack for hours and Tom tells him of the Great War and the animals he used to hunt in Africa, particularly the elephants.

One day, Tom asks MacClean to hold him and he does. He cradles him like a child and realizes how light Tom is. Even though MacClean only worked for the strange man for a few months, he realizes what an impact the man had on him and wonders if this is why he kissed the ground in front of Tom's house in his dream. The woman he walked with seemed very familiar, but she was also a stranger. When she walks away, he realizes he never saw her face.