The story opens with a snapshot of a country club in the American Midwest. It is a Saturday night in August, and there is a party going on, filled with young people dancing. The narrator lists and briefly describes several of the people in attendance, ranging in age from mid-teens to early 20s, and finally settles on Warren McIntyre. Warren has known Marjorie Harvey for most of his young life and has a deep and abiding crush on her, even as Marjorie has told him that she does not return his feelings. Marjorie has a cousin, Bernice, who is visiting from Eau Claire, and who is widely considered to be very pretty but profoundly uninteresting. Marjorie asks Warren to dance with Bernice, who has been dancing with the same boy for an hour. Warren agrees, and on his way to do so he encounters Otis Ormonde, who has been Bernice’s dance partner for the evening and is waiting for her to return from the restroom. He holds a stick, with which, he jokes, he is going to knock Bernice back into the bathroom when she comes out. Warren howls with laughter.

Warren informs Otis that he will take over the dancing partnership with Bernice, and Otis is relieved. When Bernice returns, they dance and then retire to a table on the veranda. Warren attempts to engage Bernice in conversation, but Bernice is very bad at talking to Warren, even as he tries to playfully flirt with her. In her nervous attempts to respond, she manages to insult a young man Warren knows by accidentally making fun of the fact that he does not have much money. 

When Marjorie and Bernice return to Marjorie’s house, the narrator reveals more information about the two young women. Marjorie does not care much for other girls, while Bernice had hoped that this trip would bring the two of them closer. Marjorie possesses few, if any, of the qualities that Bernice believes young women should possess, but Bernice is also envious of Marjorie’s popularity. As they both get ready for bed, Bernice overhears Marjorie complaining to her mother about her. Marjorie feels as though Bernice is a kind of millstone around her neck as she moves through her usual social scene, and she feels like she is failing in her attempts to prop up Bernice’s social standing. Marjorie works hard to place Bernice in positions to succeed, but Bernice does not take advantage of the situations in which she finds herself. Marjorie also suggests that Bernice may be mixed-race, with some Native American lineage, which may contribute to her inability to attract interest from others. Marjorie’s mother playfully dismisses her daughter as foolish, and she laments sharing such a detail with Marjorie.

The next morning, Bernice confronts Marjorie at breakfast about what she overheard. While slightly embarrassed initially, Marjorie is able to gather herself and regard Bernice with a practiced coolness. Bernice suggests that she should go home if she is such a drag on Marjorie’s life. When Marjorie asks when Bernice wants to go, Bernice is caught because she was hoping that Marjorie would insist that she stay. As Marjorie’s discourteous behavior continues, Bernice bursts into tears at the table. When she tells Marjorie that she was hoping that Marjorie would be kinder, Marjorie dismisses the idea. She insists that it is through coddling and politeness that girls like Bernice end up miserable because they won’t say what is on their minds and they just think that if they are quiet and polite, they will be treated well. According to Marjorie, Bernice is pretty, so there’s no reason for her to be boring and sad. Bernice retreats to her room in tears. 

When Marjorie comes home that afternoon, Bernice is sitting on her bed. She has considered Marjorie’s critiques and is willing to listen to Marjorie’s ideas. Marjorie lists several thoughts about ways that Bernice could make herself more attractive, including attending to her eyebrows, straightening her teeth, changing the way she dances, and being nice to less attractive or sad-looking men. She counsels that the attention of such men will bring Bernice more attention from others. Bernice is flabbergasted by the torrent of ideas, and as Marjorie considers if Bernice should get her hair cut into a bob style, Bernice keels over on the bed. 

The next Wednesday is the first chance for Bernice to deploy some of the concepts that Marjorie has introduced. At a dinner-dance, she begins by boldly asking Charley Paulson if she should get her hair bobbed. As someone who has been previously considered a boring conversationalist, this question is a striking way to start a conversation with a stranger. Charley feels flattered by the attention of a pretty girl and is willing to listen to Bernice.  It is revealed that Bernice has practiced this conversation in anticipation of the event. By talking with Charley, even if he is not particularly smart or interesting, Bernice is able to attract attention from others at her table. She announces to the table that she will get her hair bobbed and cheekily suggests that she will charge for tickets to watch. G. Reece Stoddard, a highly sought-after young man to Bernice’s right, takes the bait and flirtatiously claims a box seat for the show. Bernice turns back to Charley to ask his opinion of some others at the party, buttering him up by insisting that he must know people and have intelligent opinions of them, deploying Marjorie’s suggestions for social success.

As the night goes on, Bernice dances with many young men, spurring the interest of Warren, who begins to see Bernice in a new light. He considers his devotion to Marjorie in light of others’ newly ignited interest in Bernice. The night is a success, and Bernice is thrilled. Marjorie dismisses Bernice’s concern that she ran out of things to talk about and repeated herself with different men. Marjorie agrees that the evening was successful, and the two say goodnight, with Bernice drifting off to sleep with thoughts of Warren. 

Over the next week, Bernice embraces her new identity and reaps the attention of young men who were previously uninterested in her. She teases and bluffs about getting her hair cut when they ask about it. Warren starts taking her out regularly, sparking conversations among the domestic workers in Marjorie’s house, who all know of Warren’s previous interest in Marjorie. As the two young women are waiting for a ride to a party, Marjorie tells Bernice that Warren doesn’t care anything about her, shattering her recently discovered confidence. At the party, Marjorie continues to attempt to embarrass Bernice by telling those in attendance that Bernice never planned to cut her hair but just said it for attention. Bernice, flustered and in an attempt to save face, decides impulsively to go through with it, and the whole group decamps for a barbershop. 

Bernice is determined but terrified as the barber unpins her long locks and chops them into a short bob. The haircut impresses no one, including Bernice. Her group attempts to be friendly about it, but it is clear they feel more sympathy for her bad decision than excitement about the bold new look. A pleased Marjorie asks Warren to drive her to the cleaners, leaving Bernice to ride home from the barber shop with the others. Later, her aunt is disappointed by the cut and chastises Bernice for a rash decision, especially since Mrs. Deyo, the hostess of the following night’s dance, has a personal hatred for bobs. Marjorie looks on in silent derision, obviously pleased that she goaded Bernice into her misstep. 

That evening, Marjorie tells Bernice that she’ll take Bernice to a hairdresser and fix her hair. It is Bernice’s last night at the house, so it won’t even matter in the long run. She says this as she ostentatiously braids her own long blonde hair. Bernice tries to be a good sport, but as she says goodnight and retires to her own room, a plan forms in her head. She packs her things and writes a note to her aunt explaining why she is leaving. She sneaks into Marjorie’s room, cuts off both of her braids while she sleeps, and takes them with her as she leaves. As Bernice walks to the taxi stop, she passes Warren’s house. She laughs to herself, throws both braids onto his front porch, and makes her escape into the night.

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