A man plots to kill his wife and children, seeking advice by disguising his plan as a fictional story for his business.
A successful magazine publisher is frustrated with his dreary job and failing marriage and family life. After failing to find a solution to his problems, he plots to kill his wife and children, seeking advice by disguising his plan as a fictional story for his business.
An editor for a science magazine wakes up one day and realizes the ennui of life and his severed relationship with his wife and children has alienated him to the point that he comes to the conclusion that he will go into the city for one final day of work but when he gets home he will kill his family and self. He spends his day recalling turning points in his marriage with his depressive wife and shares his views and listens to others' (an astronaut, co-workers, friends, a taxi driver and 5 prostitutes) perhaps to gain some perspective or be talked out of his final decision to end it all. He has several conversation with his wife (on the phone) and she seems to sense what his final motivations are, but fails to pry deep enough to get anywhere with him when he denies her accusations. It seems several of the people he encounters have sneaking suspicions of what he plans to do but none do too much more than ask him what is the reason for his new found interest in family murder/suicide. he has one final conversation with a woman on the train home. The train pit stops from some sort of technical problem and the cabin lights go out, replaced by eerie red lights that bathe the two as they share their problems with one another. it seems as though they may connect to a certain degree but it would seem too late for the main character. his sober intellect and cold detachment won't allow him any for of redress, no matter how temptingly it is offered.
