A volatile marriage survives jealousy, sexual history, family pressure, and a frightening accident without fully resolving its deepest resentments.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Tattooed Marriage
Claude and Ruby's marriage is introduced through a volatile dispute over tattoos and Rose. Their attraction remains visible beneath jealousy and insecurity.
Key Events
Tattoo Argument Begins — Claude and Ruby begin a volatile argument about his tattoos and their marriage. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Montgomery household
Rose Tattoo Revealed — Ruby discovers that one tattoo was originally connected to Rose. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, RoseLocation: Montgomery household
Claude Defends His Love — Claude insists that changing the tattoo was an expression of love for Ruby. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Montgomery household
Crowded Household — The family remains together in a crowded and chaotic household. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, JewelLocation: Montgomery household
Domestic Fantasies
The crowded household mixes jokes, sexual candor, and hopes for a child and a better home. Claude's dream of a secluded house briefly creates intimacy.
Key Events
Bedroom Jokes — Jewel jokes about occupying most of the bed while Claude and Ruby bicker and flirt. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, JewelLocation: Bedroom
Future Family Fantasies — Claude and Ruby discuss sex, having a child, and improving their future home. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Montgomery household
Tunnel House Dream — Claude imagines a private home with a tunnel leading toward the woods. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Imagined house near the woods
Rose Resentment Returns — Ruby's worries about Claude's past and attraction to Rose interrupt their affectionate fantasies. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, RoseLocation: Montgomery household
Rose's Shadow
Ruby's suspicion returns when Claude's past with Rose becomes the focus of direct questioning. Their disagreement over sexual double standards deepens the marital conflict.
Key Events
Past Sexual History — Ruby demands details about Claude's former sexual experiences with Rose. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, RoseLocation: Montgomery household
Consenting Adults — Claude admits that he and Rose had a past as consenting adults. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, RoseLocation: Montgomery household
Double Standard Accusation — Ruby argues that Claude judges her history while excusing his own past. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Montgomery household
Family Argument Erupts — The private conflict becomes a loud argument in front of the family. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby Montgomery, Jewel, J.C. MontgomeryLocation: Family household
The Night's Rupture
The argument erupts before the family, and Claude orders Ruby into the car. Afterward, a vehicle wreck and a drunken admission turn the domestic dispute into a frightening crisis.
Key Events
Ordered Into Car — Claude orders Ruby into the car during their escalating dispute. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Outside the household
Nightclub Threat — Ruby threatens to visit a nightclub and meet someone else; Claude sarcastically encourages her. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Outside the household
J.C. Offers Comfort — After the car leaves, J.C. comforts Ruby's child and reflects on Ruby's devotion. Characters: Ruby Montgomery, J.C. MontgomeryLocation: Family household
Vehicle Wreck — A vehicle wreck brings sirens and emergency responders during the night's dark turn. Characters: Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Roadside wreck scene
Drunken Admission — An injured man admits to a paramedic that he drank heavily before the wreck. Characters: Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Roadside wreck scene
Ruby Reacts With Grief — Ruby responds with horror and grief as the accident's seriousness becomes clear. Characters: Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Roadside wreck scene
Fragile Reconciliation
Claude and Ruby reconnect after the accident and return to shared fantasies about a home and continued attraction. Their tenderness does not erase the unresolved issue of Rose.
Key Events
Uneasy Reconnection — Claude and Ruby reconnect emotionally after the accident without fully resolving their resentment. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Montgomery household
Fragile House Dream — They playfully imagine house colors and remaining attractive for each other, ending in fragile reconciliation. Characters: Claude Montgomery, Ruby MontgomeryLocation: Imagined secluded house
Story Breakdown
Tattooed Marriage — Claude and Ruby's relationship is introduced through conflict over his body and their emotional history.
Rose Tattoo — Ruby objects to a tattoo connected to Rose and distrusts Claude's explanation.
Love Defense — Claude claims the tattoo was changed out of love for Ruby.
Crowded Household — The household setting combines family presence, humor, flirtation, and domestic instability.
Bedroom Jokes — Jewel jokes about the crowded bed while the couple continues bickering.
Family Witnesses — The household becomes the setting for the couple's increasingly public conflict.
Future Fantasies — Claude and Ruby imagine a more private and affectionate future together.
Child And Home — They discuss having a child and building a better house.
Tunnel To Woods — Claude imagines a secluded home with a tunnel leading to the woods.
Rose's Shadow — Claude's past with Rose becomes the central emotional threat to the marriage.
Past Confession — Claude admits that he and Rose had a consensual sexual history.
Double Standards — Ruby accuses Claude of judging her history while excusing his own.
Nighttime Rupture — The marital dispute escalates into separation, threats, and a dangerous night.
Car Departure — Claude orders Ruby into the car after their argument erupts.
Nightclub Threat — Ruby threatens to meet someone else at a nightclub.
Accident Aftermath — A vehicle wreck transforms the couple's argument into a moment of horror and reflection.
Drunken Admission — An injured man admits to drinking heavily before the wreck.
Grieving Return — Ruby reacts with horror, then reconnects with Claude afterward.
Fragile Reconciliation — The couple resumes tenderness, but their underlying resentment remains unresolved.
Color Fantasies — Claude and Ruby playfully discuss colors for their imagined home.
Unresolved Attachment — Their continued attraction coexists with lingering jealousy about Rose.
Ruby and her husband Claude are a working-class couple who live in suburban Arkansas. As crazy as they are for each other, their relationship is far from harmonious. (The lack of money doesn't help matters, either.) In fact, their whole family is fraught with unresolved conflicts. Then Claude's uncle is arrested on a felony charge, and everyone rallies round. Ruby's mother Jewel and flirtatious sister Rose (Claude's ex-girlfriend) even fly in from Tennessee; but, far from being a source of support, Jewel seems only to want to break up Ruby and Claude.
