Conroy, an irish retired man was the gardener of the Chateau Gutsch. Over the years he saw many guests and the hotel owners come and go. Since the Chateau is unenlivened he speaks with the plants. For Conroy these plants share the essence of the people they represent and so they evoke feelings of nostalgia. In him he shares his memories of the hotel through flashbacks into the past. For moments everything appears lively.