Karl and Ernestine Hubers are quite different in interest and temperament, but their whirlwind courtship and happy marriage prove to the world that they are mature and happy people capable of handling their diverse personalities. Karl, a research professor at the University of Chicago, and Ernestine, a talented artist, pursue personal interests until the time when Karl is blinded by the specimens with which he is working. The loss of his sight drives him into a state of deep depression which Ernestine feels can be alleviated only by his return to the laboratory which he loves. To that end, she gives up her painting to spend untold hours at the university studying his work and the background writing in the field so that, with her assistance, he can go on with his experiments. Karl's death at the moment when Ernestine at last feels competent to work with him comes as a terrible shock to her, but she begins to restructure her life around her work in the same manner that she had earlier built her life around Karl's.
