Two young sisters-in-law share a small parlor and a deep bereavement after being told their husbands were killed, and their differing temperaments shape the household’s response. One meets sorrow with quiet resignation and practical care, while the other expresses passionate anguish. A rain-swept night brings a visitor whose news offers the possibility of survival for one husband, and the recipient chooses to hide her sudden joy to avoid worsening her companion’s grief. The narrative spends its scenes on domestic detail and the complex interplay of mourning, sympathy, and concealed hope.