1942, USA. A young man and a young woman attend a party together, but there is friction between them because the next day he is leaving for basic training prior to overseas military deployment. The woman smokes, drinks, sits alone, and is unhappy; the man tries hard to approach her and have a conversation, though at first she resists. Finally she leads him to another room, starts talking, and reveals that, in order to deal with the man’s upcoming (and long) absence, she feels she has to distance herself from him. As the party ends, the young woman does just that—by refusing the young man’s kiss and abruptly departing.