The Red Room is told through the eyes of an unnamed narrator. At the start of the tale, the narrator speaks with three elderly caretakers of Lorraine Castle. None of the caretakers seems particularly welcoming. One of them, a woman, stares into the fireplace as if in a trance. The two men seem grumpy. Wanting to escape the uncomfortable situation, the narrator asks to be taken to the Red Room. One of the caretakers says that if the narrator wants to go to the Red Room, that he will need to go by himself. The elderly lady awakens from her trance incredulous that the narrator is choosing to stay in the Red Room. The narrator receives instructions on how to reach the room, and is ominously reminded that he is doing this of his own volition.
