T.C. and George Claxton have known each other since they were children and meet up annually. T.C meets George out of duty rather than interest. On this encounter T.C notes that George has deteriorated rapidly in the last year. George found a letter in a bottle and began a correspondence with a twelve year old girl. The parents of the girl found out about the letters, and demanded an investigation. The innocence of the correspondence is questioned by the fact that George was previously accused of indecent exposure. As a result George's' wife has alienated him.