The Narrator relates the prologue from his point of view. An engineer on temporary assignment for a power company in Corbury Junction, he's staying at Mrs. Ned Hale's in Starkfield. A strike delays his work, giving him an opportunity to observe the citizens of Starkfield, and Ethan Frome in particular.
The Narrator notices Ethan Frome at the post office and is struck by the spectacle of a strong man crippled by physical and mental pain and despair. Upon inquiry among the townspeople, he learns that Ethan is the victim of a "smash-up." His curiosity whetted, The Narrator questions his landlady and Harmon Gow about Ethan's character and his accident, but they do not satisfy The Narrator's desire to know more about Ethan.
The Narrator had been using Denis Eady's horses to get to Corbury Flats to catch the train to the Junction, but all of Eady's horses suddenly become ill. The Narrator acts on a suggestion made by Gow and employs Ethan as a driver. On a trip back to Starkfield with Ethan, a terrible snowstorm causes Ethan to give The Narrator a night's shelter at his farmhouse. When The Narrator walks into the farmhouse he hears a woman's monotonous voice complaining nonstop. The night at the Ethan farm furnishes The Narrator with enough information to put together his vision of Ethan's tragedy.
