A man takes his three children and his second wife, Robin, to the old summer house, in hopes of confronting the past together. The first night, the man privately tells Robin he is unsure of his decision to come here because the house is a wreck. Robin reassures him.

The next day, the family works together to clean up and repair the windows and doors. Everything seems to be going alright until the littlest child bursts into tears after spilling her drink during lunchtime. That night, the man tells Robin this whole project is a mistake. He can feel his ex-wife’s presence in the house and guesses his children are upset by it too, citing the spilled drink incident earlier. Robin suggests it might help to more significantly renovate the house.

In the days following, the family focuses their attention on the kitchen. They spend a week building a new island. The project is a success and everyone is in good spirits. Robin makes lasagna and chocolate cake, even inviting the children to help. Then the youngest child jumps onto the island when she thinks she sees a mouse, knocking over a candle and starting a fire. Robin and the children shriek. The man races in and puts out the fire, shocked to see the floor crawling with cockroaches. The entire family engages in a killing spree, thwacking the bugs with anything they can find. When the “shiny stream of roaches dwindles” (100), the family remains at unified attention, all ready to strike the next insect should it appear.

When the narrator discovers that she is pregnant, she returns home to confront the baby’s father, a man with whom she had a casual fling over Christmas. She feels out of place and tries to hide her bitterness at how her family treats her. Her female relatives scoff when she explains that she is embarking on a writing career and criticize her clothing when she unpacks her suitcase.

The narrator goes to the beach to meet her lover. They sit near the water chatting for a while before retreating to a pub for drinks. Over drinks, the narrator muses on the week she spent with the man in his mother’s bed after meeting him at a Christmas party, wondering if keeping the baby is worth it. Then she hears herself ask what the lover thinks of naming the baby Daphne. The lover remarks that it would be strange to name a boy Daphne. The narrator laughs, realizing she won’t go through with an abortion but that this is the last time she’ll see the lover. She won’t force him to be with her. They toast one another.

Batty, the narrator, awaits the arrival of the Porters at her home. Since her father’s death, Betty has lived alone in the farmhouse where she and her sister Louisa grew up. Louisa married a salesman named Stanley Porter and moved far away to buy a house and start a family, while Betty stayed back to care for their dad. Every year since, the Porters—Louisa, Stanley, and their children Ruth and Edward—come to visit for the summer.

This year, Betty doesn’t hear from the Porters about when they’ll be arriving. She busies herself tending to the farm while waiting to hear from them. Meanwhile, she muses on the past. Her and Louisa’s mother died suddenly when the girls were little. Their dad tried to care for them but struggled to maintain the homestead and finances at the same time. Over the years, Betty has never married and only dated one man, Cyril Dawe. “Nothing ever came of it” (111) and Betty is now 50. Her father left her the property in his will, although Louisa technically has the right to stay there should she want to. Their father always favored Louisa. Since his death, Betty has felt freer than ever, enjoying her days tending the garden, milking the cows, and preserving food.

Then one morning, the postman informs Betty that Louisa and her family are coming in four days. Betty races around to get everything in order for their arrival.

The Porters come by ferry instead of in Stanley’s car, and Stanley isn’t with them. Louisa says he is working and will join them eventually. Over the following days, Betty struggles to get along with her sister. Louisa makes remarks about Daddy’s warm welcomes, and insists that Betty brush her hair for her and let her sleep in her bed with her. Observing her sister tweeze her eyebrows and do her hair Betty remembers their mother comparing her to chalk and Louisa to cheese. One day, she notices Louisa lost in thought but doesn’t press her about it. Louisa has never been forthcoming. Then one day, they run into Joe Costello, a local bachelor, at the grocery store, and he asks Louisa out.

As the days pass, Betty becomes increasingly irritated by the Porters’ presences. The children are noisy and unhelpful and Louisa does nothing but eat cake, read, and sleep. Then one morning, Joe stops over while Betty is up making cheese. They enjoy a pleasant conversation until Louisa wakes up and inserts herself. Betty gets even more annoyed when Louisa starts eating the plums she picked for jam. She storms outside and stays there to cool down. When she returns, Joe is pouring Louisa tea.

On Sunday, Louisa barely pays attention to the children. Betty makes them dinner, gives them chores, and reads to them. When they help her clean up the dishes, she is shocked to learn they don’t have a dishwasher at home as Louisa had told her.

August brings stormy weather and the family is stuck inside. One day, Edward confronts Betty, asking who will inherit the property when she dies. Shocked and furious, Betty races outside and stays there until after dark. Back inside later, Louisa suggests they redecorate the house. Betty dismisses herself to bed.

One night, Betty makes pancakes while the children play outside. Louisa sits near the stove in a blanket. Betty confronts her about her marriage, having discerned that she left Stanley and thinks she can move in with Betty. Louisa becomes defensive, insisting Daddy would want her there.

After the children go to bed, Betty and Louisa talk in the parlor. Louisa offers Betty a drink and Betty offers to brush her hair. They discuss how their lives have elapsed, each insisting that the other has what she wanted. Finally Betty accuses Louisa of inventing all of the lavish details of her home and family life. She cannot believe Louisa could lie and then turn around and expect her to provide for her for the rest of her life. Furious, she chops off Louisa’s hair. A fight ensues. Louisa shrieks, wakes the children, and furiously packs. Betty silently stands by.