White's essay follows the trail of memory as he and his son drive to the cabin and unload their gear, rent a motorized boat for bass fishing and dine at a local restaurant. White begins to feel as though he is the son listening to his father's words coming out of his own mouth. He imagines that time has stood still and that a dragonfly, the bather with a bar of soap and teenagers in a steamship cruise boat are the same ones he had noticed as a child.