Joe is sort of the odd man out in a group of soldiers stationed in Antarctica. He doesn’t ever read any of his mail, for example, when the rest of them treat letters from home with high honor. Also, it seems to many of the men that Joe prefers the company of the dogs stationed there. He often sleeps with them in the area known as Dog-town. Joe has grown especially attached to a dog named Oyster, who rescued Joe after he had an accident and fell through the ice.

One morning, Joe notices that Oyster is wheezing, and Joe himself feels sick, groggy, and light-headed. When Joe moves, Oyster doesn’t stir. The rest of the dogs are completely silent and still as well. Joe can’t find Oyster’s heartbeat. Joe struggles to carry Oyster in his arms to the barracks. When he reaches the barracks, he notices that the door is slightly ajar, prevented from closing properly by one of his own socks, which he must have dropped on his way out to Dog-town the previous night.

Everyone in the barracks is dead. Joe climbs a ladder that leads to the top. He is coatless, hatless, and wearing only socks. When he reaches the top, he breathes in the frigid fresh air.