The story opens on a man standing in his kitchen; he has placed all of his furniture outside on his front lawn, hooking up the television and appliances to electricity so that they all function precisely as they had when they were inside the house. Although the man is alone now, drinking whiskey, he considers how there is a nightstand and reading lamp "on his side of the bed" as well as "on her side. His side, her side." But whoever this her was—his wife, perhaps—she no longer seems to be around. It is left unclear to the reader what has happened to her, though it seems that she has most likely left him. At any rate, for a long time, no cars stop to inquire about what the man is doing with all his furniture set up outside. Finally, one young couple pulls in, assuming that it must be a yard sale.

They begin to make themselves comfortable, but the young man starts to feel awkward. The young woman tries out the bed and encourages the young man to come and lie down with her, demanding kisses, but he wants to see if anyone is home and how much they are asking for each item. The two do not seem to be on the same page.

Suddenly, the homeowner returns and starts pouring drinks for everyone. He tells the couple how much money he'd like for each object they ask about, but he gladly accepts when they offer him significantly less than he's asked. He seems anxious to get rid of all of the items; perhaps these things are painful reminders of his past relationship. Throughout this conversation, both he and the young man are drinking alcohol heavily. The man puts on some music and encourages the other two to dance to it, and the young woman dances with her boyfriend and then the man. It seems that a new relationship is being built on the bones of an old one, and it doesn't bode well for it that the old relationship apparently ended tragically.