A middle aged man, named Fred, checks into a small hotel room in a quaint town in East Ohio. He finds various aspects of his room annoying--the spring faucet that forces him to press down the faucet to wash his hand, the singular light source bulb, and the lack of telephones in his room. The bellboy that takes him up to his room asks Fred if he plans to stay long, but Fred explains that he is merely passing through the town. After the bellboy leaves, Fred sits on his bed and listens to the sounds of the surrounding area. He hears a man's footsteps outside in the hallway and decides to clean up and wash his face. Fred changes into more comfortable clothing and then leaves his room in search of food and a telephone. Fred makes his way across the street to a lunchroom diner, passing an open country field and some stores along the way. As Fred walks in, the people inside the diner stop talking and watch him. He sits down and orders ham, eggs, and coffee. Fred begins to eavesdrop on the people sitting around him. Two young men near him begin to argue about speeding in their car and a young girl nearby jokes with them. The two young men, Will and Eddie, talk about their cars and Eddie grabs onto the girl's hand. The girl, uncomfortable by this, wrenches herself out of his hold and the three stop conversing. Eddie and Will eventually stand up and go to race their cars again, leaving the girl, Betty behind. After Fred eats, he walks to a nearby cigar store and asks to use the store's telephone to call someone from Cincinnati. Fred talks to a girl, Minnie, on the phone about how he traveled around 150 miles since he had left their home. Minnie, his sister, talks to him and he asks to check in on their mother who has been sick. Minnie begins to cry and explains that their mother has died while in the hospital. Fred feels very sad about this news and continues to talk, but the cigar seller warns him that his time on the phone is up. Fred attempts to give Minnie advice, but the call ends. As Fred leaves the cigar store, the town around him is very quiet. The diner is closed and only a car driving past is making noise in the silence of the night. Fred decides to return to his hotel room and feels that being back in the room will make him feel better.