James Duffy is a person in his middle age who leads a solitary and scholarly lifestyle. He engages in reading and writing philosophical works, as well as attending music performances. However, he resides far away from any kind of social companionship.

During a trip to the opera, he encounters Mrs. Emily Sinico who is accompanied by her daughter. After Mrs. Sinico makes a statement, Duffy engages her in conversation. At their subsequent encounter during another concert, Duffy has a more intimate conversation with her and learns that her husband, who is a sailor, frequently goes away for extended periods.

Following their third unplanned encounter, Duffy arranges to meet Mrs. Sinico on a regular basis. However, he is concerned about how it might appear and therefore requests to be invited to her home to avoid any suspicion. Mrs. Sinico's husband is pleased with Duffy's visits as he believes that Duffy intends to propose to his daughter.

Duffy discovers in Emily a like-minded individual with whom he can exchange literature, converse about music and politics. Duffy's rigid and hard personality starts to soften as he opens up emotionally and intellectually with Emily. Gradually, their bond grows closer until one particular night when Emily becomes so engrossed in their discussion that she grasps Duffy’s hand and places it on her face. This action shocks Duffy and he withdraws from their relationship almost immediately. Duffy believes that Mrs. Sinico has misinterpreted their relationship as romantic, and not the intellectual friendship he believes he is cultivating.

After a span of four years, Duffy comes across a news article in the newspaper reporting the death of Mrs. Sinico near a railway track in Dublin. As he reads on, Duffy observes that Emily's family members had made remarks in the article stating that she had been behaving strangely in the past few years and had also started consuming alcohol. 

Duffy regrets confiding his intimate thoughts to someone like Emily, given her temperament, and feels horrified about it. He feels angry that he was ever involved with someone who may have committed suicide. As he wanders around Dublin and thinks about her situation, he starts to doubt his decision to end their relationship. He sees a couple sitting together in the park near his home, and he is hit with feelings of regret. Eventually, he realizes that by denying himself a human connection with Emily, he had also deprived himself, and Emily, of companionship. The story ends with this line: "He could hear nothing: the night was perfectly silent. He listened again: perfectly silent. He felt that he was alone."