A narrator describes a chance reunion with an old acquaintance aboard a tram shortly before a looming war, an encounter that rekindles memories of a fragrant garden and former intimacy. The meeting is charged by terse, suggestive remarks whose significance deepens as events unfold, prompting reflections on habit, recognition, and the persistence of language. Scenes move between public spaces and private recollection, noting small gestures, changes in appearance, and a growing sense of foreboding. The narrative meditates on memory, the unevenness of understanding between people, and how ordinary conversation can later acquire symbolic weight.