Maria, the main character of the story, is employed at a charitable laundry service in Dublin run by Protestants. It is Halloween, and she has been given the night off after distributing holiday cakes to the other laundry workers. While heading towards her friend Joe's house to visit him and his family, Maria takes great care in planning how much money she can spend on sweets and buys some special desserts for Joe's family.

After reaching their house, Maria realizes that she forgot one of the expensive items in the tram and feels distressed due to her forgetfulness. However, the family consoles her and tells her not to worry. Later, the children play a game during the holidays where a player is blindfolded and has to select an object from a table. When it's Maria's turn, she accidentally touches a pile of clay, which makes the family uncomfortable and Joe's wife upset, as the clay represents early death and should not have been part of the game. The children then rearrange the objects, and Maria chooses a prayer book on her second attempt. Joe's wife says this choice symbolizes a religious life in a convent.

Eventually, Maria is requested to perform a song. She selects an Irish ballad, but she makes an error by repeating the initial verse of the song. Despite her mistake, no one corrects her, and Joe becomes emotional and teary-eyed when the song comes to an end.