As a man watches his infant son play with an apple, he contemplates the inevitable struggles and decisions his son will endure as he grows up and discovers the world. These thoughts lead the man to think back to his own adolescence. He remembers Mr. Brown, a guest who rented out a room from his parents. Mr. Brown was around 60 years old but still handsome with a strange charm. Like many of the other residents in their small New Hampshire town, Mr. Brown also enjoyed hunting in the woods. At age 14, his parents force him to join Mr. Brown in working at Trotevale’s, a local shoe store. As he spends more time around Mr. Brown, he starts picking up his habits and mannerisms. The teenager begins practicing the way Mr. Brown smiles and hums. In juxtaposition to Mr. Brown, the teenager felt hatred toward Mr. Halperin, the store’s tailor. Mr. Halperin was an old Jewish man from Germany with a hunched, ugly appearance and snappy attitude. To the teenager’s displeasure, the two older men seem to become friends, but Mr. Halperin seems to be the one who is more attached. When police Chief Atmon comes to the store to chat with Mr. Brown about hunting, Mr. Halperin criticizes them for the sport and calls them murderers. Mr. Brown disagrees and draws a clear distinction between men and deer, especially focusing on the violent and dangerous nature of bucks. On a cold November morning, the employees of Trotevale’s are shocked to find the store’s window smashed in. They hear something moving around inside and are confronted by a buck with huge antlers. The buck runs into the basement, and they call in Chief Atmon. He plans to shoot the buck, but Mr. Brown suggests that they let it go since it was driven out of the forest due to over-hunting. The situation is resolved by Chief Atmon shooting and killing the buck. Mr. Brown puts on his coat and leaves, perhaps permanently, without saying goodbye. The man snaps back to the present and affectionately watches his son and wonders what he should hope for him.