In New York, a distraught woman sits in her rented room in a rocking chair. Outside, people shop and engage in commerce, men light pipes, hands type. A mother and baby play peek-a-boo: things are okay for many. The woman continues to rock. A drunk is arrested; a Salvation Army band plays, kids run around. Protesting unemployed workers appear. The rocking woman's face becomes more distorted. Military officers parade. A man picks through discarded clothes, hobos sit listless. These men are veterans of the Great War, now forgotten, many alcoholic. Passersby ignore men passed out on sidewalks. The woman stops rocking and takes action.