Martin Wallace, a middle-aged writer living in New York, attends a party at a friend's house while his wife Sally is out of town with their children. Before the party, Martin meets up with his old friend Leszek Stawinski, a poet from Poland, and his wife Anne. When they arrive, the group are greeted by their hosts, Marek and Maria Torczyn, who are also Polish, along with their guest, the famous Polish novelist Stanislaw Danzig, who still lives in his home country and is only in the States to visit. At dinner, Martin sits between Maria and her sister Ursula, who was an actress in Poland and only moved to America a year ago after her divorce. He then follows Marek to his study, where the host shows off his new guns and then tells Martin about his father, who was shot by the Germans while driving to get medical supplies near the beginning of the war. Martin, an American Jew, sympathizes with his story, since his father's family died in the war, as well. When the men return downstairs, they enter to an argument between Danzig and Leszek about why Poland has failed to produce talented artists or famous literature. According to Danzig, geography and politics keep Polish arts and culture from thriving, but Leszek argues that it is cowardice and naïveté. Martin attempts to moderate the argument and, hoping to offer a kind of compromise, contributes by saying that geography and political misfortune have cut the Polish people off from the rest of Europe, so that Polish artists are unable to escape the provincialism of their culture. Though it was not intended to, the statement only further offends Danzig, who argues that other European art and culture thrive only because of privilege and political power, not because of the quality of the writing itself. Soon, Martin ends the argument by making what he apologetically calls a grand speech about great writing which appeals to the human condition and thus transcends time, politics, and power. Finally, Maria turns the music up and urges everyone to dance. At one point during the dancing, Maria and Martin end up being partners for a foxtrot. When the others are distracted, Maria begins to whisper in Martin's ear, telling him that she does not love her husband and only married him so that she could move to the United States. She continues by implying that Martin is unsatisfied in his life and his relationship, and, right before the end of the song, she tells him she loves him. Startled and unsure whether the statement was friendly or something more, Martin retreats to another room where he begins a conversation with Anne. Earlier in the night, Leszek mentioned that he wanted to move to Maine, so Martin asks Anne if they really plan on moving. According to Anne, Martin would like to move somewhere cheaper so he could spend more time writing. Martin realizes, however, that while Anne is willing to accommodate her husband's lifestyle, Leszek is unwilling to have a child, despite his wife's longing for one. The conversation begins to make Anne upset, so Martin leaves so that she can be alone. As the party comes to a close, Martin finds himself alone with Ursula in the sitting room. Ursula, who has had a considerable amount of vodka since the party's beginning, starts to tremble with emotion and suddenly tells Martin that she is afraid to die. Martin tries to comfort her, but his attempts are not successful. Eventually, Ursula hands Martin her gold necklace, a family heirloom from Poland, and asks him to give it to his wife Sally, who Ursula has met a few times and is apparently fond of. Martin tries to refuse, but Ursula insists that he take it. When the guests finally leave, Martin drives Ursula home and helps her into her apartment. When Sally returns the next day, Martin shows her the necklace. Sally is just as confused about the gesture as her husband, and the couple decide to return it to Ursula along with a thank you note.