Late at night, as Hugh Clark is resting in his home, a black man bursts through the door and stumbles into his house. The man begs for help, explaining that he killed a storekeeper in a fight over tobacco and was put in jail, only to be dragged out by a mob that wants to lynch him. He tells Hugh he managed to escape the mob but needs help as they edge closer. Hugh summons his servant to write a note to the Sheriff stating that a fugitive is hiding in his house and to come fetch him. He then tells the black man to hid upstairs. Hugh then walks outside to his porch and looks for a mob amongst the surrounding landscape, but only finds three visitors walking towards his house. To his shock, he is greeted by Serena, his former lover who left 30 years ago. With her are her husband and son, Chris. Serena and Hugh chat on the porch while her husband and son look around Hugh’s home.

Thirty years ago, Serena left Hugh and the South because she felt stifled by its poverty, dullness, and presence of black people. Hugh, then a history and Greek teacher, had thought his teachings of Greek philosophy could change the prejudice of the South and provide for Serena, but she always had a taste for luxury. When Serena asks Hugh why he didn’t leave as well, he tells her he does not know. He ponders the passion with which he fought the racism of the South and the deep roots his family has in this region, then tells her he could not have lived outside of the South any more than she could have lived in it. Serena then asks Hugh if he remembers the last night she spent here, and Hugh replies yes. She reveals that Chris is not her husband’s son, he’s Hugh’s. Astonished, Hugh goes inside to acquaint himself with his son, telling him he would like to see some of his architectural designs. Serena and her family eventually leave, and Hugh stands on the porch contemplating his new son and returned zest for life. He then sees a person maneuvering around the outside of the house and, realizing the house is being watched, tells the fugitive upstairs that he must leave. Now that he has a son, he values his life much more. However, Hugh then notes the cowardice of this mindset and tells the black man he can stay.

After fetching his pistol, he sees a person walking towards the house. Fortunately, it’s only Chris, carrying some blueprints for Hugh to see. He tells Chris to go inside, then sees several cars arrive on the property. The mob consists of 40-50 men. Chris still doesn’t go inside. When the mob reaches Hugh’s porch, he threatens to shoot them. He then throws out an arm, gesturing for Chris to go inside and startling the mob leader, who accidentally fires his gun and shoots Chris in the head. Horrified that they’ve killed a white man, the mob retreats. Hugh is in a daze and gets drunk on whiskey. He tears a page from a book and applies it to the wound on Chris’ head, then drinks more whiskey and falls asleep. The next morning, the sheriff arrives with a deputy. He immediately thinks Hugh has killed Chris, but when the deputy tries to arrest the older man, he realizes Hugh is dead. The sheriff then studies the page on Chris’ head, but cannot read its Greek script. The page contains a passage from the Iliad that details Helen’s woe as she wonders where two members of her family are.