Melanie Green is a nineteen-year-old college student in the 1960s. She is engaged to Harry Stone, a graduate student who lives in another state. They have never consummated their relationship because Harry fears it will distract him from his thesis work. Melanie feels neglected and goes on a date with an international student from Turkey. He takes her to a movie. Afterward, he parks his truck in the countryside and rapes her. As he drives her back to her dormitory, Melanie feels listless and broken. She goes inside and tells her roommates what happened. The girls sympathize with Melanie, but they are secretly thankful that she will stop complaining about feeling unloved. They urge her to report the crime, but Melanie stays silent. She fears that her father, a rabbi, will be upset with her. Weeks after the assault, Melanie begins to wonder if she’s pregnant. She asks some of her friends if they know of any abortionists, but they balk at her insinuation that they would have ever used such a service. However, many of them come to her in private and share the contact information of abortion providers. They warn her that the procedure is extremely risky due to its illegal nature. When Harry comes to visit, Melanie tells him what happened. He is angry about her betrayal, and he breaks up with her. Days later, a student named Wanda who lives on Melanie’s dorm floor goes to visit her. When she opens the door to Melanie's room, she finds that Melanie has hanged herself. Her assailant hears about the suicide and is sure that Melanie loved him.