 Don has given Kathleen an engagement ring as a Christmas present, but by the time she is handing him ornaments off the tree to put away, she is troubled with second thoughts. At a New Year s Eve party thrown by the boss and his wife, Don and Kathleen observe the bahaviour of the four other couples present (all married), and ponder their own possible marriage. After dinner a power failure saves them from the boss s home movies, and by candlelight each of the couples draws a marriage topic to discuss, as advice for Don and Kathleen. Superficiality appears in the boss s answer to "Appreciating Your Spouse" and then a marriage gone flat surfaces as "Facing Disappointments" is discussed. A bickering couple addresses "Adjusting to the Little Things" as contrasted to the couple with the best marriage who succeed at "Resolving the Quarrel" well.