Damon White is back in his hometown, and though he vows this will be his last visit, he hasn't set a date for his return to his New York apartment yet. Following the harrowing death of his father, Damon is left orphaned in his 20s, thus giving him no reason to ever return to his hometown, although he also sees no reason to depart. While he was alive, Damon's father never filled his role, constantly criticizing Damon and belittling him. From his anxiety medication to his job reading children's stories, nothing about Damon lived up to his father's esteemed title of colonel. Now that he has passed, Damon is left without any parental comfort and hardly any friends. From the burden of all his emotional baggage, Damon has become a shut-in, keeping to himself around town and staying mostly in his cabin. One night at dinner, Damon notices Dede, the sister of a recently deceased woman who had been Damon's summer fling years ago. She announces to the crowd that there will be an informal service for her sister, with music and some words. She informs them that she will sing and publicly requests that Damon accompany her, though all he wants to do is melt into the background. Dede approaches him after her speech and catches up with him. Dede tells him that though there had already been a formal funeral for Phyllis, she hadn't gone because of drama with Phyllis' husband's family. Now, she desperately wants to commemorate her sister—and she wants to do so with Phyllis' ashes, which her husband and children have been closely guarding. Dede convinces Damon to accompany her to Phyllis' house, hoping that the two of them can convince her family to let Dede take the ashes. After a short conversation between Damon and Phyllis' daughters, it is clear that the girls are deadset on keeping their mother's ashes away, so the duo leaves. When Dede parks, she reveals the ashes she stole to Damon, asking him to hold them for her in case the girls realize they're gone before the ceremony. That night in his cabin, Damon begins hearing voices; his father's voice, he is used to, but hearing his mother's voice is brand-new. Having died when he was young, Damon hardly knew her, but he hears her voice now compelling him to free Phyllis from the grip of her family. Thus, Damon goes outside and feeds the ashes to the river and fish.