The Station Agent opens with a railway scene. A long train passes through and Finbar ("Fin") McBride, a dwarf, is watching it go by as he smokes a cigarette and glances at his pocket watch. He returns to his small, simply furnished apartment and packs a little backpack. After putting on the backpack, he knocks on a nearby apartment door. An elderly African American gentleman with glasses, Henry Styles, opens it. Both men wear dark suits. They leave their apartments and walk next door to the Golden Spike, the model train shop where they both work. Fin begins his day by turning on a train display in the front window. After receiving the day's schedule from Henry, he begins to work on a model train.

Later in the day, a young boy comes into the shop to order a model train and notices Fin...