Mary and Dick Turner have just been married. It was a simple affair without any frills. Nor was there a honeymoon afterwards, as Dick simply couldn't afford it. And so the newlyweds head off to Dick's farm to settle into married life as soon as possible.

The farm is some distance away from the town, well over three hundred miles. By the time Mary and Dick get there, it's late at night. The half-asleep Mary manages to rouse herself long enough to take a look at Dick's farm, although all she can really make out in the darkness is the dim shape of the trees as they stand against the starry sky.

Exhausted by the strained state of the previous few months, Mary has been dulled into a kind of muted acquiescence, a numbness that's almost indifference. Despite this, however, she feels quite optimistic about her future with Dick on his farm. She thinks it would be nice to live peacefully for a change. Mary's also determined to get close to nature, a concept she's derived from reading pleasingly sentimental books.

In due course, however, Mary will quickly become disillusioned with life on the farm. But for now at least, it seems like she's ready to make a go of it.