Randal and Maggie live in a nice flat, with bare, polished hardwood floors. Randal, who claims to be a writer and sits in front of his computer all day on a rolling chair while Maggie is gone to work, is bothered by the noises of his neighbors: the singing of one, the lovemaking of another, the heavy tread (and yapping dog) of a third. Even though Maggie encourages him to be tolerant, Randal hatches a nasty plan, forging an eviction letter to the one-legged woman in the flat above. His quick success prompts letters to other neighbors that, when Maggie discovers them and demonstrates her disgust, lead to a response Randal has only partly imagined.