A mother and her two daughters, Susan and Kate, wait at the train station for their guest, Mr. Sumarsono, an Indonesian diplomat for the United Nations. When Mr. Sumarsono arrives at the station, he initially hesitates to join the family, but he does eventually.

When they arrive at the family's house, the mom insists that Susan take Mr. Sumarsono's suitcase to his room. However, Mr. Sumarsono declined the offer and carried it himself. The mother makes lunch for everyone. Susan and Kate are initially upset because they want to go to the pond and picnic. Still, the mother insists they eat lunch with her and Mr. Sumarsono.

After lunch, the mother and Mr. Sumarsono nap while Susan and Kate go to the pond. When the girls return home, dinner is almost ready. To her chagrin, Susan notices that her mother has bathed, put on a festive dress, and done up her hair. The mother pours wine for Mr. Sumarsono and herself.

During dinner, the mother asks if Mr. Sumarsono has a wife or family. He says he does, though he clearly does not fully understand her. She then asks through gestures if he has pictures of his family that he can show her. Mr. Sumarsono goes to his room and returns with a camera. He assumes she had asked him to take a picture of them.

Susan sees Mr. Sumarsono's photo of her mother and realizes how other people think she is beautiful. Mr. Sumarsono makes a visit sometime later and brings the pictures with him.