The short story has six versions. In version A, Mary and John meet and fall in love immediately. The two lovers enjoy life together. Mary and John buy a house and are used to going on fun vacations together. They are also blessed with two children. Ultimately, they retire and finally die. In version B, Mary is enthralled by John, but he does not show love in return. John is only after pleasure and satisfying his ego. Mary tries her best to please him, but John seems uninterested. He comes home twice a week and is not romantic. Mary is advised by her colleagues to part ways with him because John is not good enough for her. One evening, John complains about Mary's cooking. Mary is informed by her friends that John enjoyed a meal in a certain restaurant with a woman called Madge. As a result, Mary feels hurt and decides to overdose. Mary dies, and John gets married to Madge.
In version C, Mary is only twenty-two. John is older and married to Madge. John is interested in Mary, but Mary is not interested in him. Indeed, Mary is interested in James, who is closer to her in age. However, James is always away riding his motorbike. This forces Mary to spend time with John. One day, James decides to spend time with Mary at her apartment. John finds them and gets jealous. As a consequence, he purchases a handgun, which he uses to shoot the two of them and himself. Madge is left mourning but finally meets and marries Fred.
In version D, Madge and Fred lead a happy life. The two lovers have a house near a seashore. One day, the shore is hit by a tidal wave. Many homes are destroyed and a number of people drown. However, Fred and Madge survive. In version E, Fred and Madge live a good life. Unfortunately, Fred dies, and Madge dedicates herself to charity work. In version F, the author provides details about the various possible endings of John and Mary's stories. She argues that no matter what, the endings of every story are the same: people die. The story ends with the narrator encouraging the reader to think beyond plot and consider the "how" and "why" of characters' actions (F).
