Nine year old Arnold and his older brother Eugie set out to pick peas and potentially shoot ducks.An undertaker shortly arrives after Arnold's father discovers Eugie's body by the lake.Arnold later retreats to his bedroom, void of emotion or grief.Later that night Arnold runs to his parents room with the intention of telling his mother how horrified he felt kneeling beside Eugie's dead body.While climbing through a fence near a lake, Arnold's gun becomes snarled and accidentally goes off.The bullet hits Eugie and kills him almost instantly.Upon arriving home, he tells them that Eugie is dead.Despite feeling uncomfortable, Arnold remains in the room while his neighbors visit and listens to them tell stories about Eugie.Arnold is overcome with shame upon realizing he is naked.The following morning at breakfast, Arnold's sister refuses to hand him a jug of milk before his father passes it to him.Arnold is relieved that his parents acknowledge his existence but the sheriff's words from the day before cause him to question his own morality.