A young boy, who is still unaware of his future in which his mother dies and he becomes a miserable, unaccomplished middle-aged man, lives through an ever-so-slightly unusual day which would later become the one and only core memory he has of his mother.

The Eavesdropper, a human-alien hybrid woman, moves through a sentient spaceship full of comatose humans whose memories she absorbs and processes through mind reading.

A marble gambling machine becomes a huge hit in front of a hotel of a small town and becomes more than just a place for competition and earning money. The infamous machine, The Crusader, becomes the place where new friendships are built and love is explored.

On a vacation in France with his wife and family, Reynolds reminisces about the trip he and his wife took to Mont-Saint Michel decades ago, despairing at the bigger and faster pace of the town and the beauty and culture that seems to have been lost since then.

An older Japanese man reflects on his past and learns more about the American culture through small encounters with strangers on a train.

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.

Now estranged from her son, a music teacher recounts the event that first sowed distrust in their relationship—an event that involved an energetic dog, a strange-looking man, and a banana.

In 20th century Russia, a Korean-Russian mechanic's childhood best friend suddenly returns to their hometown. Their unexpected reunion stirs memories from their families' intertwined past and forces the mechanic to confront the disappearance of his Russian mother.

A man mourns the death of his wife and celebrates the birth of his child.