When Mr. Farr, a professor who studies sexual selection, returns home from his lecture trip, he calls out for his wife, Edie, who was supposed to meet him at the train station. Mrs. Peters, the cook, informs him that Edie left last night and left behind a letter for him. The letter says that Edie will leave Mr. Farr for George Reilly, a bar owner. Mrs. Peters is familiar with him and tells Mr. Farr that George definitely will not care for Edie, meaning that Edie will be back soon enough. She does not understand why Edie left, especially considering how well Mr. Farr treats her. Mr. Farr regrets that he didn't take Edie with him on his business trip. He revises some old notes on sexual selection and details theories from Darwin and evidence from various species. His research prompts him to ask Mrs. Peters if she thinks George Reilly is better looking than he is or more enticing from a woman’s perspective. Edie has left him once before, and he knows that he will take her back once again. In his research, he writes about the female fruit fly, which does not distinguish between superior and inferior males when she selects a mate. He thinks of the tragic way his love ties him to Edie and acknowledges that he will spend the rest of his life taking her back.