Jack and his wife Fran are invited to dinner at the home of Bud, Jack’s friend from work, and his wife Olla who recently had a baby named Harold. Fran, who has never met either of them, is unenthusiastic about the evening. Her long blonde hair requires a lot of effort to maintain, but whenever she suggests that she might cut it short, Jack jokes that he might not love her anymore with short hair. Most nights, Jack and Fran sit in their living room and discuss their dreams and aspirations. As a working-class family, most of their dreams are unattainable. Neither of them wants children.

When Jack and Fran pull into Bud’s driveway, they hear an inhuman wailing sound. Suddenly, a giant peacock. Having barely finished dressing, Bud appears. Jack is annoyed to see Bud in work clothes, while Jack dressed up for the evening. As they go inside, Bud curses at the peacock, whom he calls Joey, and complains that Olla likes to let the bird inside the house. Fran surprises Jack by complimenting their house. Bud replies, “A place like this is not all it’s cracked up to be” (18) but notes that at least life is never boring.