Francis decided to quit the Jesuit priesthood a few years into graduate school at Harvard. Upon renouncing the priesthood, Francis begins to explore what life can offer beyond the Church. He meets Caryl, a Catholic woman pursuing her PhD in English at Harvard. The two go on a few dates, but one night they let the physical take over and have sex for the first time. Despite being worried Caryl might be pregnant, they find out two weeks later that she's not. Caryl want to continue to spend time together at night, but Francis insists its too risky and that they'll wind up having sex. And yet, they end up spending a few nights together. One night, Francis reads one of his short stories to Caryl about a Catholic woman. Caryl loves the story which leads to a confession that she would like to marry Francis. Francis isn't sure what he wants, so he leaves and walks home on a cold Cambridge night.