The story begins with a group of schoolchildren gathered around, talking excitedly about the possibility of seeing the sun. The children are in the classroom of a school on Venus. Their parents have all traveled from Earth to Venus in order to set up a human civilization on the strange planet. At this location on Venus, it rains almost nonstop. However, scientists predict a rain stoppage and the appearance of the sun one day every seven years. Today is that day, and the children are peering out the window to get a view. Their teacher is away from the classroom but is expected back any moment.

One of the children, Margot, stands apart from the others. Margot is frail and pale, and she never participates in games with the other children. When the class sings songs, she barely moves her lips unless the songs are about the sun. What most sets Margot apart from the group is that she can remember the sun while the others cannot. Margot is nine years old, just like the rest of her classmates. But unlike Margot, her classmates have lived their whole lives on Venus; none of them can remember what the sun looks like or how it feels. They were all too young the last time the sun made an appearance. 

Margot was brought to Venus with her parents only five years ago. Therefore, she spent her first four years on Earth and remembers the sun vividly. Margot is not doing well on Venus, away from the sun, and her parents are thinking of moving her back to Earth despite how expensive this would be. The other children resent Margot for remembering the sun and for the possibility that she may get to return to Earth. They bully her and say they don’t believe her when she describes her memories of the sun. It is revealed that a month ago, Margot refused to shower, screaming that the water must not touch her head. This incident causes Margot to feel even more different and isolated.

The day before, the class had spent time reading and writing about the sun. Margot wrote a short poem and read it quietly to the class. William, the class bully, accused Margot of not writing the poem herself and was admonished by the teacher. But now, with the teacher away for the moment, William begins to bully Margot again. When he asks her a question and she doesn’t answer, William shoves Margot. He tells Margot to get away and states that she won’t see the sun here. William then turns to the rest of the class and loudly proclaims that nothing is going to happen, that the sun won’t come out, and that it was all a joke.

Margot speaks up to contradict William, saying that scientists predict the sun will come out today. But William only grabs her and tells the other children to help him drag her down a tunnel and lock her in a closet. As a group, the children pick up the crying and pleading Margot and carry her to a closet, where they lock her inside. The children stand outside of the closet listening as Margot struggles to get out. After a moment, they leave Margot in the closet and head back down the tunnel. 

Their teacher arrives and asks if everyone is present and ready; she doesn’t notice Margot’s absence. The children all reply, “Yes!” Then they all gather around the door as the rain lessens and comes to a stop. The door opens, the sun comes out, and the world around them is suddenly silent. As the children yell and rush into the sunshine, the teacher tells them that they only have two hours and not to go too far. The children run about, shed their jackets, and look up at the sun. They marvel at how much better the sun is than sun lamps. The children stop to look at the tangles of grey and white and black jungle around them. They lie on the vegetation, stare at the sun, and play games among the trees. Then they begin running around wildly and shouting.

The children run around for an hour without stopping until one girl cries out. The girl holds out her hand and the children gather around to see. Cupped in the child’s hand is a single rain drop. The clouds begin to block out the sun and it starts to rain again. The children walk back to their underground shelter and stand in the doorway as the rain gets heavier and heavier. Then they close the door and listen to the rain.

Just then, one of the children remembers something and reminds everyone that Margot is still in the closet where they locked her up. For a minute, the children stand still. They look at their hands and their feet and are unable to look at each other. Slowly, the children walk down the hall to the closet where Margot is still imprisoned. The children stand by the door to the closet and hear only silence. Finally, they open the door and let Margot out.

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