Dad, for most of his life, has been a pillar and a magnet for friendless people. Gentle and untiringly invested in his numerous relationships, many of which are even more unusual than his animals, he is the perpetual recipient of the beloved animals of his friends. When they can no longer care for or house their pets, they are delivered with tearful ceremony into the hands of a man who cannot bring himself to say no. Dad is clay in the hands of such trust.