Stanley Webber is the only lodger in Meg and Petey Boles' seaside boarding house. One morning, while Meg and Stanley are bantering over breakfast, she mentions that two visitors are coming to stay for the night. Stanley immediately grows apprehensive, sensing imminent danger. His fears are confirmed when Goldberg and his partner McCann arrive. Meg announces that it's Stanley's birthday, and even though Stanley insists it is not, Goldberg demands a celebration. After a few glasses of whiskey and a game of blindman's bluff, Stanley's birthday party turns into a nightmare. Goldberg and McCann drag Stanley off to an upstairs room, and by morning they've rendered him a mute.
