By way of introducing the young woman—Elodie, a poet who writes primarily about owls—the narrator acknowledges that great art, science, and knowledge often come from a “nutshell,” or limited worldview. Thus, he respects Elodie’s obsession with owls.

Claude lets John and Elodie in, and they sit at the kitchen table. Claude pours them wine. John introduces Elodie, whom he is going to publish. As they make small talk, the narrator contemplates the situation. He is unsure whether Elodie is his father’s lover or simply a ruse to allow him to stay with Trudy longer than normal. He can tell by his mother’s heart rate that she already despises Elodie. They have a terse conversation about owls, with Trudy arguing that they can be dangerous when provoked.

Finally, John stands and makes a speech. He first acknowledges that he and Trudy were both once deeply in love. He is adamant that they respect and remember that fact. However, he then announces that that love is gone. He knows about Claude and Trudy’s relationship, and he wishes them well. He is now in love with Elodie. She tries to interrupt him, but he dismisses her. He informs Claude and Trudy that he will be back the next day to begin moving his things in; he expects Trudy to vacate the home and move in with Claude. He suggests that they live their own lives for at least a year before trying to socialize and hopes that the divorce will be “civil.” After his speech, he gets up and leaves with Elodie.

The narrator is devastated by the fact that his father did not talk about his unborn child. He considers his father his “savior,” yet John did not even mention him. At the same time, he acknowledges the effort his father has been putting into pretending to be heartbroken, in turn “lulling [Trudy] into greater security” and “drawing” Claude and Trudy “together” (71).

After John and Elodie are gone, Trudy and Claude sit in silence for several moments. Then, Trudy tells Claude that they need to kill John tomorrow.

Through the night, Claude and Trudy continue to drink and plot the murder. The narrator contemplates his existence: He was once blissfully unaware of the world, but now he is plagued by the knowledge that his father does not want him and that his mother plans to kill his father. Sometime after seven o’clock in the morning, Claude and Trudy crawl into bed. Given that John is coming in just a few hours, the narrator hopes that they will be unable to carry out their plan. At the same time, he acknowledges that any outcome is bad for him.

In the morning, the narrator is woken up by his mother rushing down the stairs. She and Claude quickly prepare for John to arrive, having left themselves only a handful of minutes. Claude brings John’s favorite smoothie from a place nearby and puts it in the blender with the antifreeze. The narrator senses his mother’s fear and panic inside her body yet notes her outer serenity. He urges her to recognize that her plan will never work. However, John then arrives, yelling up to Claude and Trudy that he is going to begin bringing his things in.

The narrator writes a letter to his father. He recalls a poem that John read to Claude in the library about a “bitter” speaker who lost his love to someone else, lamenting his “longing unresolved and unacknowledged” (82). The narrator compares his view of the world to the speaker’s view of his love, noting how badly he wants to be part of the world despite everything bad he has heard about it. He begs his father to love him, saying that if he does, he will urge his father not to come into the kitchen and not to drink the smoothie.

Claude and Trudy sit in silence at the kitchen table. The narrator knows that everything is in place, though he does not fully understand it. In particular, there is something important from the bank and a “thing” that Claude retrieved. Meanwhile, they listen to John upstairs moving boxes in.

Eventually, John comes upstairs and sits at the table. He points out that Claude and Trudy have not begun to pack their things. He claims to have called an exterminator to fumigate the home and a garbage company to move out their trash. However, Trudy insists that they are not going anywhere. Claude tries to offer John the smoothie twice, but Trudy interrupts both times.

Trudy admits that John is right: They need to separate, but she is going to take her time moving out of their home. When she mentions Elodie, calling her “Threnody,” John admits that he had a fight with her last night. Elodie is adamant that John is still in love with Trudy. She laughs in response, offering to call Elodie to explain how much she despises him. Trudy then nods to Claude, signaling that she is ready to put their plan into action.

Once Claude leaves, John asks to recite a poem. Although Trudy urges him not to, he does anyway, quoting “Sonnet 61: Since There’s No Help” by Michael Drayton. When he finishes, Claude returns. Trudy mentions having bought a smoothie, and Claude produces a cup that they allegedly saved for John. Desperate, the narrator kicks at his mother’s womb, trying to disrupt her, but she simply comments on his energy and then continues.

Trudy requests a glass of water and proposes a toast; however, John refuses to drink the smoothie. He gets up to leave, commenting that he will give Trudy a few weeks to get out of the house. She stops him, proposing a new toast and giving a speech about how John was right: They truly did have a great love once. The narrator again kicks his mother’s womb but fails to distract her or get John’s attention. This time, John drinks the smoothie, sets the cup down, and leaves.