The narrator introduces Gran, a lifelong maid who loved telling maid-centered stories, and begins recounting one such tale. In it, a disheartened maid laments her harsh, poorly paid work and lack of family, though she acknowledges there is one person who loves her deeply.

While cleaning a mansion, the Lady of the house instructs the maid to clear a wardrobe of old shoes—work boots, ballroom slippers, and granny boots—calling them worthless and inviting the maid to keep any she wants. The maid briefly wonders if the Lady refers to the shoes or the people who wore them.

The maid first tries the work boots and is transported into the life of an orphaned stable boy. She experiences his daily labor, scant warmth from horses, and profound loneliness as he sleeps on straw and longs to be someone else. Overwhelmed, the maid removes the boots and returns to herself.

Next, the maid fastens the ballroom slippers and finds herself in a chiffon gown dancing with a prince. The joy abruptly ends when the prince abandons her for a prettier belle and kisses the other woman in front of her. Hurt and humiliated, the maid rips off the slippers to escape the scene.

Finally, the maid slips on the granny boots and becomes a wealthy matron who once owned the estate. She discovers the matron takes vampiric pleasure in draining joy from others, has no friends or loved ones, and pesters workers for amusement. Repulsed, the maid removes the boots immediately.

That night, the maid tells her beloved about the strange experiences. When he asks, “What did you learn?”, she answers that her own life is not so bad. She realizes and holds fast to the lesson that a life without love is not worth living, finding gratitude for the love she does have.