A man rides a bus going from Cleveland to New York. It is extremely hot and the bus is mostly empty. As the bus arrives in Youngstown, numerous people board. A businessman and his wife board and sit down next to the man. He judges them because the businessman is bruteish and his wife is pale and coughing. The other passengers board and the sailors and girls begin to sing songs to pass the time. The businessman sings along and eats some plums as his wife watches with admiration and then takes a nap. After eating his plums, the businessman talks to the man about his place of origin and destination. The man explains that he is from Cleveland and that he is heading to New York, before smoking with the businessman. The wife asks her husband for a cigarette as well, but her husband just kisses her. The businessman talks about the other passengers who are singing and then sits to think. The man looks around at the other passengers and also at the businessman's wife, who seems to be very sick. The businessman explains that he is heading for Harrisburg to visit his aunt, but that he is upset that he can't find work anywhere. As the night comes, many of the passengers fall asleep. The businessman explains that he hopes his uncle can hire him for work because his wife is young, but has a really bad cold. Some of the girls in the bus begin to sing again and the other passengers make jokes to cheer each other up in the hot bus. The businessman tells a story about a girl he was once interested in and that he used to pinch the girl while they were swimming. The businessman further talks about how he wasn't sure what the girl's name was, but that eventually he fell for his friend's wife. His wife smiles at his story and he explains that his wife is 22 and they got married when she was 17. The businessman tells the man that his wife's name is Mary and she's Irish. He also talks about her cat, who's a minx. The man asks the businessman if it was love at first sight and the businessman explains that it wasn't, but that they met in Brooklyn. The businessman continues with his story and talks about how he used to take his wife to shows and that he often kissed her when she wasn't expecting it. The man asks if this ever made Mary uncomfortable and the businessman says it didn't. The businessman talks about how he truly fell in love with Mary when she was playing with her friend's child. and that he instantly wanted to marry her. As the bus arrives at a small town, the passengers all file out of the bus to get coffee and stretch their legs before heading back to their seats. The businessman asks the man if he wants to hear another story and the man snaps back and says he doesn't. However, the man feels bad about retorting at the man. The man hears the businessman kiss his wife and then falls asleep, filled with regret. When the man wakes up, the businessman explains that his wife's cold is getting pretty bad and then the couple leaves at the Harrisburg stop.