A married man is called upon to help his friend as she ends a failing marriage, and she visits his apartment to divulge the details of the separation. She confesses that her husband is convinced that she is in love with him. However, she claims that she is not in love with him, though they have been friends for a very long time, since she had observed something about him which turned her off from the prospect years prior. Despite her telling him that she is not in love with him, he is continuously and seemingly innocuously attempting to become more intimate with her, brushing her shoulder and caressing her face. During their conversation, they kiss a few times, despite both being married. Suddenly the phone rings, and it is her husband on the line, asking the man to meet for drinks that night. The man agrees and promises that he won't tell the wife anything about it, all the while she listens silently to the call. She begs the man to be gentle with her husband, saying that if he were to know the full truth, his faith in humanity would be broken. He agrees. Later, when he asks her to pass the time together before the meeting, she refuses. Her response makes him feel that she is only using him to preserve the pride of another man, rather than reciprocating his friendship. Instead, he passes the time at the library, reflecting on his own faith in humanity. When he meets the husband for drinks, the husband interrogates him about her. The husband concedes that the man has been a benefit to her life, recalling how depressed she'd been early in their marriage, and how that completely changed when she met him. The husband wants to know if he loves her, if she loves him, if they've ever made love. He denies all, though the steady stream of alcohol tempts him to tell the truth. The husband ends asking if he knows who her lover is. The husband says that if it was him, he'd have peace of mind knowing at least that she'd be with someone who could help her. The man says that she has no lover, though the husband doesn't entirely believe it.