Bill Clayton, a twenty-six year old white American, has returned from fighting in the Philippines during World War II. He has an apartment with his wife Pat and takes classes at the University. One night, he has a dream that he killed someone, but he cannot remember where or when; all he knows was that it was not a normal killing, like in combat, and that it happened a long time ago. In the dream, Bill puts a knife in the back of his trousers then trudges through a river, almost drowning. After closely escaping death, Bill comes upon a Black neighborhood. He begins to become uncertain what is a dream and what is part of his past. He goes up to the door of one of the Black families and asks them to come inside because he is cold and drenched. When he asks, he hears his own voice but as a child. The Black man tells him he cannot come in, that it is not safe, but he will call Bill a taxi. He asks Bill his name and where he is from, but Bill cannot remember.

Not long after, a car of white men arrive looking for Bill. He realizes they are police officers; the officers ask him if his name is Clayton, to which he responds it is. The men take Bill home to Pat, who explains to him that he had an episode after drinking at a party and stabbed his friend Larry. Larry told the doctor he fell on a broken bottle. Bill feels awful and thinks he will have to leave Pat because of the harm he might do to her, but Pat says she will stick around no matter what, only asking that Bill does not drink again. Bill sets his alarm to get up for Shakespeare class in the morning and melts into Pat's embrace. He thinks about how, eventually, he will get used to living like this.