Fitzgerald Fortune, a caustic and cruel man, goes to Throckmorton's Curio Shop to buy his wife Esther a player piano as a 26th birthday present. The grouchy owner demonstrates the piano by placing a roll of music inside. As it plays "I'm in the Mood for Love", he begins speaking in a gentle, sentimental manner, even giving Fitzgerald a 20% discount because it is a gift. When the music stops, the owner resumes his ill-tempered sniping. Esther asks why, after she has often said that she wants to learn to play the piano, Fitzgerald bought her a player piano. He cheerfully tells her that this will save her the time and expense of taking piano lessons, only to find that she has no talent for the instrument. As he demonstrates the piano by playing a roll for the song "Smiles" from The Passing Show of 1918, the Fortunes' normally solemn butler Marvin begins to grin brightly. He says that he is happy because he is well paid, enjoys his work, and likes his two employers. When Fitzgerald protests that he treats Marvin poorly, Marvin reveals he finds his ego and temper amusing, to the point where he frequently has to restrain himself from laughing aloud. Again, this change ends when the tune does. Fitzgerald suspects that the piano makes people reveal their innermost thoughts. He tests it further by playing a roll for Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance" on the piano for Esther. She says she hates him and has come to believe that he married her because he wanted someone to bully rather than to love. She attributes her marrying him to youthful naïveté. Satisfied with the piano's performance, Fitzgerald decides to use it on the birthday party guests. The first guest to arrive is the playwrightGregory Walker. Gregory professes a distaste for any emotional involvement, but Fitzgerald plays a roll for "These Foolish Things ". As it plays, Gregory admits to strong feelings for Esther, and even confesses that they had a tryst while she was on vacation. Esther enters and is mortified and implores Fitzgerald not to play the piano to the other guests. The rest of the guests arrive. Marge Moore is the life of the party, enjoying the food and company while making jokes about her heavyset figure. When no one immediately volunteers for Fitzgerald's "party game", he picks Marge as the first to listen to the piano. As the piano plays Debussy's "Clair de lune", Marge goes into a trance, identifying herself as a little girl named Tina who loves to dance ballet. Fitzgerald encourages her to demonstrate, and she does so, prompting laughter from all of the party guests except Esther and Gregory. With further prompting, Marge speaks dreamily about her desire to be a tiny, "perfectly formed" snowflake, melting in the hand of a man who loves her. The guests stop laughing, while Fortune continues to roar with glee. The song ends, and a humiliated Marge takes her seat. Fitzgerald has Esther insert a new roll, which he claims will "bring out the devil" among them. He hands her a roll for the song "Melody in F", but she secretly switches rolls. The piano begins to play Brahms's Lullaby. The music makes Fitzgerald speak in a petulant, frightened voice. At the guests' prompting, he admits that, deep down, he is terrified of everything and everyone. He confesses that he hurt Marge and Gregory because he is jealous of Marge's eagerness for life and Gregory's talent. The guests leave without comment as Fitzgerald makes his final confession: he treated Esther with coldness and cruelty because he lacks the emotional maturity to receive and reciprocate her love. Gregory asks Esther to leave with him, and she does so, leaving Fortune alone. Fitzgerald, distraught at being abandoned, throws a tantrum, destroying furniture and decorations in the room. He ends his tirade by ripping the roll from the piano. Marvin enters; remembering his earlier confession Fitzgerald orders "Don't laugh at me." A somber Marvin replies, "I'm not laughing, Mr. Fortune. You're not funny anymore."
