The story follows an automated house in Allendale, California on August 4, 2026. The voice-clock announces the date and time, while the kitchen prepares breakfast without human occupants. Robot mice clean the house, and the nursery projects vivid holographic images.

A poisoned dog enters and dies, after which the incinerator activates. The house prepares dinner and entertainment, but no one comes. It selects a poem by Sara Teasdale, "There Will Come Soft Rains," which reflects on humanity's extinction unnoticed by nature.

A tree branch crashes through the window, starting a fire. The house's automated systems fail to contain the blaze — water pumps run dry, the attic explodes, and the structure collapses. The last voice on the wall repeats the date until silence.

The story depicts a world where technology persists after civilization has been destroyed, with the house performing its routines for no one. The narrative serves as a haunting meditation on the indifference of machines to human absence.