Single Room Furnished

In Maria's downtown apartment, a heated argument erupts between Maria and her Italian mother about Maria's association with Eileen. The mother warns that Eileen's lifestyle could bring shame to the family name. Maria defends her friend and refuses to bow to that judgment.

Pop steps in to calm Maria and guides her to the building's kitchen to talk. He explains that he will tell her a story that threads through the past and present. The tale centers on Mae/Eileen and the people around her.

Johnnie and Frankie live in the building, with Frankie itching for something more. He shows interest in Navy life and distant places, leaving Johnnie feeling isolated while she is pregnant. Frankie discusses with an old Navy friend and hints at a change in their life, foreshadowing departure.

Weeks after the talk of escape, Johnnie awakens to find Frankie gone, abandoning her and their unborn child. She suffers a miscarriage as the bond of their marriage dissolves. Johnnie later changes her name to Mae and remains a tenant in the building.

Mae, now identified by her new name, announces her pregnancy during a visit to Charley. She plans to place the baby up for adoption, and Charley, moved by pity, asks her to marry him. The moment plants a seed of complicated loyalties that echo through the building.

A few days later, Charley meets Flo in a bar and realizes that he loves her. He decides he cannot marry Mae out of pity and asks Flo to marry him instead. The feelings between Flo and Charley begin to redefine the future of their circle.

Mae eventually has her baby and puts it up for adoption, ending that chapter of her life. She also changes her name to Eileen, continuing to inhabit the building as Mae’s legacy bleeds into a new identity.

As Pop finishes the Mae/Eileen thread, Flo arrives in the kitchen pregnant with Charley's child. She explains that she and Charley married, and she reveals that Mae had her baby and is now Eileen. The past and present overlap in this crowded room.

Maria realizes that her friend Eileen is the same person who lived as Mae years ago in the building. The names Mae and Eileen are revealed to be one person in the stories he told. The realization shakes the room as the story folds into the present.

Flo spells out that Eileen works as a prostitute at a nearby club, shaping the second arc of her past. The life she leads contrasts with the intimate recollections shared earlier by Pop. Maria processes the revelation while listening.

One night, a sailor named Billy arrives at Eileen's apartment, and he declares his love, insisting he wants to marry her. Eileen candidly recounts her past and warns him that many men have come and gone. The confrontation exposes the wounds behind her demeanor.

Billy pulls a pistol and points it at Eileen, but she dares him to shoot. Unable to fire, he shoots himself instead, leaving Eileen in stunned silence. The moment marks a brutal climax to the night.

In the immediate aftermath, Eileen sits at her mirror and re-applies her makeup, trying to reclaim control over her image. The act signals a partial reprieve from the night's tragedy, but the scars remain visible. The scene closes as she prepares to face the world again.