On Memorial Day, a family of four visits the old graveyard nearby, where a large stone vault stands. It is rumored that a rich woman was buried there with lots of jewelry. When they get home, the son reads until his mother tells him to go practice piano in preparation for his upcoming lesson. While he is at the piano, the boy's father enters the room and complains that the boy does not play outside enough like other kids. This upsets the boy, who believes that his father does not want him to take piano lessons because they are too expensive. He goes outside and sits in a tree until dinnertime.

At dinner, the father brings home company: a European man interested in purchasing some of the father's tobacco. The boy plays piano for the guest, who compliments him. Afterward, the parents send the children upstairs to do their schoolwork. When they finish, the boy's sister wants to pull a prank on their parents. She tells her brother to hide under their parents' bed and then jump out and scare them. The boy agrees to do it, so he waits a long time under the bed. When his parents finally enter their room, however, he hears them talking about him. His father complains that the boy spends too much time inside and does not act manly enough. This upsets the boy, who crawls out from under the bed crying. His mother comforts him and sends him off to bed.

In his room, the boy decides he must get money for the piano lessons. He gathers some supplies, then sneaks out of the house, riding his bicycle back to the graveyard. When he checks the lock on the vault, he sees that it is broken. He enters and finds an iron casket inside. He unscrews the top and fishes around for any rings or other jewelry, but he does not find anything. He realizes he will have to find another way to pay back his father. He leaves a little after midnight, the darkness of the vault haunting him as he rides his bike back home. He decides to offer his father his happiness in order to pursue piano.