Framed by an ironic editorial prologue questioning whether human sorrow for the departed is truly genuine, this short dramatic piece depicts the immediate aftermath of a woman's death. Far from feeling overwhelmed by grief, everyone in her orbit quickly redirects their attention to petty interests and everyday vanity. The sick-nurse drinks the late patient's leftover medicine and conspires with an assistant to smuggle out used garments. At his bureau, the deceased woman's husband, Royer, an ambitious civil servant, worries about office politics, rivalries among his subordinates, and typographical errors on funeral invitations that diminish his honorific title. Meanwhile, the couple's young son displays little distress, casually chatting with a friend about the funeral carriage and his eagerness to play war games afterward. Similarly, the cook gossips with the cheerful undertaker, viewing her mistress's passing mainly as a chance to obtain new mourning dresses.
During the funeral procession, the mourners chat about past lavish dinners and social engagements rather than the deceased. Skipping the cemetery visit entirely, Royer enjoys an elaborate multi-course meal at a fine restaurant before heading straight to the apartment of his mistress, Madame Saint-Léon. She eagerly manipulates him into promising her his late wife's prized cashmere shawl to triumph over a social rival. Concurrently, a stonecutter prepares a conventional gravestone praising the departed wife and her supposedly inconsolable husband. Royer ultimately returns home to wind his clock, order fresh fish for breakfast, glance at political news, and fall peacefully asleep under the portrait of the spouse he has already set aside.