Henry is an older man living in a rural part of New York with his wife. During a violent storm, a man named Omensetter ventures over a nearby hill with his things and family piled high into a wagon. He asks Henry for a place to stay, requiring a room for his children as well as space to plant vegetables. Henry leads him to a nearby house he owns and gives him the key. As the storm rages on, Henry's wife is increasingly worried about the family, thinking that they'll get swept away by the river located near their house. Henry goes to check on them and finds them doing well, in no danger, except for a fox that attacked their chickens. The fox fell into a well and Omensetter resolved to let it slowly drown in the well. Henry thinks he is cruel for doing so, insisting that he help it or put it out of its misery, but Omensetter refuses. Later, Henry is suffering from an illness, with his wife calling doctors and neighbors, including Omensetter, to help her calm his condition. While waiting on the doctor, Omensetter blends a concoction of beets which helps ease him. After that incident, Henry is even less mobile than he had been before, now only taking very short walks to local places, which still exert him greatly. As the harvest season is coming to an end, Omensetter and Henry speak about where he plans to go next. Henry invites him to come back during winter, but Omensetter says it'd be much too cold for him. Instead, he'll go somewhere good for his family. He leaves Henry, and Henry reminisces on their first meeting, when Omensetter had spoken with him like a friend, and over time as Henry was cold towards him, he built up a wall. Henry grieves the loss of Omensetter and his own behavior towards him.