The majority of the occurrences in this tale happen within Eveline Hill's thoughts as she readies herself to depart from her father's house and flee with a sailor named Frank. Eveline, who is described as being "over nineteen years old", has been looking after her usually intoxicated father for an indeterminate length of time following her mother's passing. Her father does not beat her, but he does threaten her and demean her. Despite this, she loves her father and is highly conflicted about leaving with Frank to go to Buenos Aires.

Despite feeling like her life is extremely unfulfilling, she has strong reservations about leaving. She feels obligated to care for her father and keep her promise to her deceased mother to maintain their home. Additionally, the thought of making such a significant change in her life is daunting and leaves her feeling stuck.

Ultimately, as Eveline arrives at the port where her partner is anticipating her and where their vessel is set to depart, she is unable to depart with him even though he pleads with her due to an overwhelming sense of inaction. Like many of the characters in Dubliners, she is paralyzed and unable to act.