After Hamilton Echlin Sr. dies in a boating accident, Sarah's mother, dismayed by his sons' and her own daughter's refusal to attend church and behave in a manner she approves of, leaves the household, but Sarah stays on as housekeeper, and eventually takes first taciturn younger brother Frank (Hinds) and then amiable elder brother Hamilton (McCann), as lovers. When she becomes pregnant and refuses to marry either man or even specify which is the father of the boy she delivers, the local minister (Patrick Malahide) is deeply unsettled by her indifference to convention. She rebuffs his attempts to make her conform and give the child "a name" by declaring that all clergy want is for people's lives, however "botched inside," to appear "smooth to the eye--like lazy work."
This sequence of events resulted in additional discussions regarding Hamilton Echlin Sr.'s tragic death in a boating accident, and subsequently, Sarah's mother was deeply disappointed by her sons' and daughter's refusal to participate in church activities and behave according to her expectations. She ultimately left the household, but Sarah remained as housekeeper and eventually formed romantic relationships with her first quiet younger brother Frank (Hinds) and then charming older brother Hamilton (McCann). When she became pregnant and refused to marry either of them or specify which one was the father, the local minister (Patrick Malahide) was deeply disturbed by her lack of concern for traditional norms. She rejected his efforts to persuade her to conform and give the child a name by stating that all clergymen only desired people's lives, although "imperfectly" lived, to appear "respectable" to the eye--like effortless labor.