When Jerry Stone comes home to his luxurious Manhattan apartment for dinner he is in exceptionally high spirits. His business is apparently doing well; his sex life is eminently satisfying; and both he and his wife, Nina, appear to be happier than they have ever been. But then the cracks appear: Nina confesses that she has been carrying on an affair with the elevator man for the past twelve years; and Jerry abruptly confesses that they are on the edge of bankruptcy. The Stones are then visited by Robert Ginsburg, Jerry's oldest friend, whom they haven't seen for many years. Robert, who has developed the power to predict the future, tells Jerry that Demco Petro (a stock Jerry had just sold to raise cash) will open $28 a share higher in the morning—which means that if Jerry had held on a day longer he would have realized a profit of $70,000! Shattered, Jerry and Nina move slowly away from each other, their life in ruins, as thunder and lightning crash ominously in the background.