Billy is an elderly widower who lives in Boston. Years ago, his brother, Tad, drunkenly fell down a flight of stairs and sustained permanent brain damage. He doesn’t do much of anything besides smoke cigarettes, and Billy sees him as an inhuman vegetable. Tad's wife, Gay, looks after him. She is unnervingly positive about her role as her husband’s caretaker. One day, Billy receives word that Gay was found on the floor of her home with broken ribs. She had fallen and was unable to move for days. Tad couldn’t do anything except smoke and stare at her. Billy comes to Tad and Gay’s house to care for him while Gay goes to the hospital. When he arrives, Billy expects to have a serious conversation with Gay about the obvious toll that her husband’s condition is taking on her. Instead, she talks blithely about her hobbies. The next day, she goes to the hospital. Billy takes Tad out for lunch. As they cross a busy street, Billy leaves Tad in the middle of the road alone. He expects a car to run him over and put the family out of their misery, but traffic stops. After a few minutes, Billy reluctantly guides him across the street. Tad doesn’t seem to realize Billy’s intentions. For the rest of the day, he chain-smokes and inquires about Gay’s whereabouts with increasing irritation. Back at the apartment, Billy explains that she’s in the hospital. Tad stands by the door to wait for her, but he loses interest and asks Billy to make him breakfast. Billy refuses. Tad threatens to burn the sofa with cigarettes in retaliation, but Billy yells at him and breaks his resolve. Late that night, when Gay has returned, Billy wakes up to use the bathroom. He sees Gay standing on the ledge of an open window. Startled, he asks her what she’s doing. She calmly gets down from the ledge as if nothing happened, and she walks out. Billy uses the bathroom, goes back to bed, and returns home the next morning.