The story opens with the narrator addressing the reader directly, setting the scene. The story takes place in New England "not far from a hundred years ago," that is, approximately 1730. The colonies had not yet become independent of Great Britain, and passions were running high. At nine o'clock on a moonlit evening, a young man of eighteen lands by ferry at an unnamed city. His name is Robin, and, by the look of his clothes and manner, the ferryman can tell he has never been to the city before. Robin carries a "wallet," which is a small knapsack, and a cudgel, or a short club. Paying the ferryman with almost all of his money, he sets off eagerly toward town.

As he walks through the outskirts of the city, it occurs to Robin that he does not know where he is going. Apparently, he is seeking...