Dan lives in a large house near the Chesapeake. Since his wife Helen died when she was young, Dan has seen various other women, all still living in their hometown just as he is. After one of them, Sheila, left him heartbroken, he soon stopped seeing women, and he has few friends aside from his children. His son and daughter, Nick and Rachel, now moved out and in their twenties, come home to visit, Nick bringing his new girlfriend Patty. Patty does not make a good first impression on Dan, who gets the sense she is more interested in seeing his grand house than meeting him, her boyfriend's father. The next morning, Dan goes on a walk with Rachel and expresses his concerns about being a father to Nick. Nick is working on a novel, and Dan has not yet read any of it, afraid it will portray him poorly. Rachel tells her father that she has accepted a job in Seattle, and he begins to worry about her too, especially since she will be so far away. The more time Dan spends with Patty, the more he dislikes her. She tells him his furniture would make valuable antiques, and he continues to get the sense that she is after money. Patty also seems overly controlling of Nick, a fact which Rachel notices as well. Dan can't help but notice the similarities between Patty and his most recent ex-girlfriend Sheila, who, he found out, his friends and family all hated. Rachel believes they should intervene in Nick's relationship, but Dan, speaking from experience, says it won't do any good. Then Dan, wanting to spend time alone with Nick, invites his son to accompany him to see a client's boat that was recently wrecked. Patty is obviously upset by the situation, and when the boys return there is clear tension between Patty and Rachel, as if they have been fighting. That night Dan hears Patty and Nick arguing. Patty is lecturing him in a monotone voice so that Nick barely has the chance to respond. The next morning everyone is in a bad mood, and Nick and Patty are clearly still fighting. The wind is particularly strong, and Nick and Rachel decide to go sailing, though Dan knows it is dangerous and would normally advise against it. After helping his children set up the boat, Dan returns to the house to find Patty reading in her usual spot. It is not long before the two erupt into an argument, Patty claiming that he disapproved of her from the minute they met. Patty warns him that he won't be happy when he reads Nick's novel, to which Dan responds that she is no longer welcome in his home. Shocked and hurt, Patty packs her stuff and leaves. Dan sits and reflects while his children are still out sailing. He wonders when he will see Rachel again after her move and if Nick will ever forgive him for kicking his girlfriend out of the house.