A man who unknowingly talks to himself wonders why a woman who is satisfied with her marriage is having an affair with him.

A young married woman meets an intense older woman on a cruise ship who regales her with the tale of an old affair and the lessons she learned from it.

Protagonist Walter Stuart drives determinedly, with curious excitement, into a hurricane to save anyone who might be stuck. He weathers a torrential night with a stranded brother and sister, but by morning he has lost his mind and attempts to kill both of them.