Cooper, a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, awakens to the sounds of a scuffle outside of the isolated cabin where he lives with his daughter, eight-year-old Finch. He goes outside to investigate and discovers a raccoon in the process of killing one of their four hens, a chicken named Susanna. Cooper beats the raccoon to death with a shovel, then hits the hen once to put it out of its misery. Finch sneaks up behind him and witnesses it.

As Cooper cooks breakfast, he reflects on his secluded life with Finch and her uncanny resemblance to her late mother, Cindy. Finch is upset about the hen’s death, not understanding why she needed to be killed. Cooper struggles to explain to her why it was right, thinking of how some things are difficult to explain when Finch has such a limited view of the world. Despite her isolation, Finch is an avid reader of the collection of pre-20th-century American literature in the cabin.

Cooper and his daughter are both looking forward to the next day when Cooper’s Army buddy Jake will visit with supplies for the winter. The cabin and the land it sits on belong to Jake, who is their only connection to the outside world.