Rose Smith, a young woman, plays cards with her sister Esther in Kensington. The girls play a game where one wishes on their biggest desire. A particular combination of cards determines whether the wish will come true. Rose's wish is to marry a colonel, but she gets a variety of cards that means her desire won't come true. However, Rose doesn't feel defeated but instead wonders how comfortable her life would be if she married the colonel. As the two sisters talk about the particular lifestyle Rose would have with the man, their younger 6-year-old sister Tootie comes into the room. Tootie tells the girls that the colonel and an injured war vet stopped by the house. Tootie reveals that the injured war vet is a captain, and the captain told the colonel that all of the Smith girls are lovely. Rose is excited that the colonel knows them. The girls decide to eat chicken hearts since doing so is a family tradition meant to improve relationships. After the girls eat the chicken hearts, their brother Lon and a man named Chet Murphy enter the house. He tells the girls about a funeral in the area. Lon says that a woman was buried alive, and Tootie inspects the graveyard. Rose spots the colonel driving down by their house. Chet tells Rose that the colonel may not be a colonel after all, citing rumors about about his questionable behavior. However, Rose is not unnerved. The colonel spots Rose, and Rose is confident that the colonel thinks she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.