A man in a recovery ward is allowed to go out for a day to see his wife, but his discomfort in the outside world manifests as paranoia. He returns to the hospital early, where he finally feels normal.

Stinging from his recently cut-off engagement, a young man retreats to a small town in the mountains of Virginia to work as city editor of the local newspaper. Alternately entranced and disgusted with his hermit-like nocturnal life, he finds peace and pleasure listening to the St. Anthony Chorale.