In contemporary Georgia, Calvin works as a sewage treatment plant inspector. While inspecting a plant with a history of noncompliance, Calvin slips off a wet catwalk and submerges his leg in sewage. He returns to the office, where his co-worker, Dave Lott, jokes about Calvin's unpleasant odor. Dave asks Calvin to go out for a beer after work, but Calvin declines and returns home to his wife Jill. Jill's desire for another baby causes tension in the household, as Calvin does not want another child. Jill also dislikes Dave, as his first wife, Pat, was Jill's friend. Dave had left Pat for another woman. A couple of days later, Dave dies of a bacterial disease. Pat, who lives three hours away, comes to town for the funeral with her and Dave's 15-year-old daughter, Jennifer. At the funeral, Pat and Dave's second wife get into an argument, so Jill tells Calvin to take Jennifer away while the adults talk. Jennifer tells Calvin that she hates her mom. Calvin shares that when he was her age, he felt the same, and he sometimes distracted himself by imagining what it would be like if his parents struck by amnesia and forgot him.  Calvin takes Jennifer to his office, where he shows her how his dad kept a photo of her on his desk. Calvin gives Jennifer a moment alone, and when he comes back, she has disappeared. He finds her crying in a supply closet. He embraces her to comfort her, and she initiates sexual acts. While Calvin resists at first, he soon gives in. They drive back to the funeral home in silence, where Jennifer pretends to have amnesia and acts as if she doesn't remember her mother, concerning everyone. Back at home, Calvin gets drunk and cries. Jill, thinking his emotion is motivated by grief, comforts him. He whispers "help me", into her hand, but Jill mistakes the motion of his lips on her hand for a kiss and smiles.