After Hick returns from America, he finds himself in no man's land: his station in Last Valley has been closed and Hick, the now unemployed stationmaster, leaves his family to emigrate to no man's land. In his absence, he is put on trial in Last Valley, the charges and reasons for which become increasingly vague and remain unclear until the end. In this trial, his wife defends him by emphasizing her husband's virtue - but he has started an affair in no man's land.