After the old-books shop closes, portraits of the Strumpet, Death, and the Devil come to life and amuse themselves by reading stories--about themselves, of course, in various guises and eras. Four of the stories are literary horror stories (one by Poe, one by R. L. Stevenson), and the last one is a comedy involving a fake haunting.

Combs, a settler in the Dakotas, receives word that he is the heir to a large fortune. He eagerly prepares to go and claim it, but his Native American wife White Fawn is dismayed. Fearing that she will lose her husband if he goes east, she stabs herself with a knife. When Combs finds her, he is overcome with grief. He bends over her and pulls out the knife, only to have their daughter see him in this position. She draws an erroneous conclusion from the situation, and runs for help, leading to some tumultuous developments.

A spoiled young rich girl is forced by misfortune to fight for survival in the slums and alleys, where she becomes involved with all manner of unpleasantness.

Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who comes from a rich family, and she begins to be drawn into the world of the upper class.

Three young children set up a table, and on the table is placed a miniature stage. The stage curtain opens, a carpet appears, and then the carpet unrolls by itself. Two puppet figures then come out and begin to perform a series of routines.