A professor lives with his wife, Julia, and their daughter Victoria in a small house with a leaky roof, though he refers to the miniature dollhouse in their living room as his actual residence. The dollhouse, which was originally purchased for a young Victoria, has become an obsession of his, and the man spends great time and energy on the construction and arrangement of its furniture to perfection. Though Victoria once had several dolls for the house, they were eventually destroyed or lost. The professor was happy to get rid of them since he hated the way they looked, especially the doll who represented the father. The miniature house begins to appear in the professor's dreams, and in when he's awake he contemplates its potential for pets, artificially produced weather, and miniature gardens. Even after the house is perfectly furnished and his daughter has left for college, the professor continues to consider changes he could make to the house, unable to accept that his project is complete.