Molly plans an impromptu trip with her long-time friend, Sandy. She, a thin, cat-owning woman, and he, a rotund gay man, set off driving from San Francisco to Carmel. She wakes up apprehensive about the trip, though that feeling dissipates. The trip begins with pleasant conversation, and upon arrival, they decide to go to the beach tomorrow. Carmel is just as beautiful as she remembered. They go to an unpopulated beach, free from tourists, where a stray, grey dog with large ears follows the pair around. Sandy decides they ought to go to the mission, and while driving away, they both realize the dog is desperately following them. Driving faster, they arrive at the mission, and the dog is out of sight. But Molly is filled with regret, haunted by the image of the grey dog chasing after them, slowly disappearing into a grey dot, and then gone. He reassures her that the dog surely had a collar, has a home somewhere. They return to the cottage home, drinking too much and arguing bitterly. Leaving early the next morning, they stop at a crossroads. Sandy chooses the middle road, while Molly would have chosen the right. At a dead-end, she is reminded of a screenplay she worked on, in which an abandoned family is left to perish isolated in mountains similar to the ones they are stuck in. They begin to argue again. Molly shrilly cries out, asking why they hadn’t returned for the dog. They look at each other in utter dislike. He drives in silence and takes the road Molly suggested—the correct road. The strained friends weakly apologize and their friendship drifts apart after they return home. Molly lives with her cats, a quiet life, trying to write more, and no longer thinks of the abandoned dog. She remembers Carmel now with painful memories and knows she will not go back.