Yvette arrives at Mr. Chandler’s home with her son and a home-cooked dish to thank him for caring for her mother. At the table, a boy named Richard rejects the meal as “terrible” and demands sweet-and-sour pork. Mr. Chandler tells the maid to prepare it while adults excuse the boys and try to clean stained clothes. Yvette’s mother, who usually does the cooking, begins to serve. Then another boy, Simon, knocks over a plate and spills the dish, apologizing. The offering is ruined, leaving Yvette’s thanks undone and the household bracing for Mr. Chandler’s response.