A great mass of people press forward to get on a train, and shove each other to get a space. Among them is a young couple named Marion and Al, though Marion calls him Barry. The two are high school sweethearts. Marion had gotten a job very young selling pillow cases which made many of her high school friends jealous. After Marion and Barry were caught together by Marion’s mother, the two got engaged with a ring that Barry saved up for. Barry had a job, but got laid off due to the start of the Great Depression and so he frantically searched for work, during which Marion helped support him. Barry found a job at a small office and eventually Marion got tumors on her feet from working a lot and so had to get them removed, meaning she became unemployed. Marion then became pregnant, but Barry lost his job and out of fear for their future Marion had an abortion. They still ran low on money and so they sold all of their things and moved in with Marion’s mother who received government checks because her husband had died while serving in the armed forces. On the train, Marion gets a seat and Barry stands. Marion reads a newspaper and the two dream for a better future.