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The story begins on a perfect early summer day in the Sheridan family’s garden. Workmen arrive as Mrs. Sheridan and her daughters, Laura, Meg, and Jose, eat breakfast. Mrs. Sheridan sends Laura to supervise the workers. Mrs. Sheridan thinks of Laura as her artistic child, and Laura enjoys arranging things.
The workmen are there to set up a marquee (a big tent). At first, Laura adopts a look and tone like her mother’s when addressing the four men. However, the affectation embarrasses her, so she resumes speaking naturally. Laura is impressed with the men’s friendliness and lack of pretense. She tries to direct their work but has little effect. She watches them work, wishing away the class divisions between her wealthy family and the working class.
Rushing inside to answer a telephone call, Laura meets her father and Laurie, her only brother, preparing to leave for the office. Laurie speaks in an affected upper-class manner. He asks her to check if his coat needs to be ironed before the party. She agrees, hugging him and expressing her love of parties, before continuing toward the phone.
On the phone is her friend Kitty Maitland. Laura adopts the speech mannerisms of her mother and Laurie while speaking with her. She invites Kitty to have lunch with her before the party. Mrs. Sheridan, apparently eavesdropping on the conversation, calls from upstairs. She asks Laura to tell Kitty to wear the hat she had worn the previous Sunday.
After hanging up, Laura takes a moment to look and listen to the activity of the household. Sadie, a servant, answers the ringing doorbell. Laura sees that the florist’s delivery man has arrived with trays and trays of pink canna lilies. She assumes that there has been some mistake. Mrs. Sheridan enters, acknowledging that she ordered an excessive number of flowers on a whim. She directs the delivery man to place the flowers inside the door, asking Laura if she agrees, which she does.
Laura moves on to the drawing room, where her sisters and another servant, Hans, are moving a piano. Jose, who enjoys giving orders, instructs Hans to move everything out of the room except the piano, a sofa, and chairs.
Jose tells Meg to accompany her on piano while she sings. She wishes to be prepared if the guests ask her to sing. The song is “This Life Is Weary,” a melancholy song about changing love and death. She breaks into an inappropriately happy smile while singing and asks for her mother’s approval.
Sadie interrupts the scene, carrying a message from the cook. She needs the flags for the sandwiches but cannot find them. Mrs. Sheridan instructs Meg and Jose to finish preparing themselves for the party. She asks Jose to calm the cook on her way.
Mrs. Sheridan finds the blank flags and asks Laura to write the names of the sandwiches on them. Laura takes them to Cook in the kitchen, who is cutting the crusts off the sandwiches.
Sadie comes in to say that the delivery man from Godber’s bakery has arrived with their famous cream puffs. Laura and Jose admire the pastries, remarking how they are reminiscent of past parties. Although good manners say it is improper to eat pastries so soon after breakfast, Cook tells each of them to go ahead and take one each.
