A talented book illustrator named Paula, who goes by Polly, greatly enjoys spending time at her friends' houses as a "houseguest," helping them with their needs, especially with children. A large part of why she finds it so intriguing is because it provides her with a glimpse of domestic life with none of the attachment, and allows her to imagine what life might be like for her in that context. This all changes when she is hired by a young publisher named Gilbert, who she finds to be just as passionate and talented about his work as she is. While Polly dislikes Gilbert at first, the two make a great team, and the books they produce are what Polly considers to be her best work. At some point, Polly realizes she is falling in love with Gilbert, and she is not sure she's ready to, because she is still troubled about a past love that has stuck with her. The two continue to work together very well, but maintain a purely professional relationship. Then, one night outside of work, Gilbert reveals he feels just as strongly for Polly as she does for him, kicking off a true relationship between them. Once she has everything she dreamed about, Polly worries that her satisfaction is fleeting and that she will never truly be happy, but she is comforted by the fact that Gilbert will be with her to take on the unknowns of their new life together.