Eveline sits by her bedroom window considering the street where she and her childhood friends used to play. They were happy, with her mother alive and her father in a better state of mind. She thinks about her decision to leave home with a man; she won’t miss her department store job and looks forward to being respected as a married woman. Recently, now that she’s older and her brothers aren’t around anymore, she fears her father’s violence may turn toward her. She and her father often argue about money, with her father demanding all her earnings, even reticent to allow her money for shopping. Her mother’s death left her with two children in her care, but now she’s embarking on a new life with her boyfriend, Frank, a sailor with a home in Buenos Aires. At first, Eveline just enjoyed the attention from Frank, but then she began to care for him. Her father and Frank argued during their initial meeting, so Eveline and Frank continued to meet in secret. Now, leading up to her departure, Eveline remembers happy memories with her family and her promise to her dying mother to care for the home. When the day of departure arrives, Eveline prepares to board a ship with Frank.