In discussing the altercations witnessed over the course of the day, Stephen Elwin and his family grapple with question of whether the downtrodden and those burdened by prejudice are nonetheless responsible for their own breeding and behavior. Elwin’s earnest and idealistic daughter Margaret valiantly defends their maid, who happens to be Black and also named Margaret, until she witnesses 'the other Margaret' breaking a piece of artwork.

A middle-aged man faces a difficult decision; he can choose to use genetic alteration to have a say over the life of his unborn child, or leave the future up to chance. As he struggles to choose a path, he reconsiders his own past and the struggles he has faced.