Alan is a skinny, pale, engineer at NASA who never expected that he would be able to be with a woman so beautiful as Carol. While he feels like he deserved his career from hard work, he found it hard to believe that he deserved Carol. They had met at a beach while Alan was still in college, and was waiting to see a rocket launch. His friends told her that he was a NASA engineer, and Alan explains that his job was to keep things from breaking and to make things unbreakable. They started out sleeping together, and when Carol became pregnant, Carol demanded they get married. Alan shows up to his wedding less than an hour before it begins, not dressed and exhausted. He had been working late at NASA, where he is a part of the team working to put the first ever people on the moon. Carol's father meets him at the door, and threatens him to make sure that Carol was the most important thing in his life. He goes through with the wedding, and feels lucky to have married her. He sincerely apologizes to Carol, but Carol seems to brush it off. After their wedding, they are discussing their honeymoon to the Niagara Falls over dinner, and Alan finds it hard to imagine himself as a married man, with domestic routines and a family life with children. He thinks about the ways he felt he could be in love with her. While they are finishing up eating, the phone rings and it is the lead engineer of the small equipment department named Ann who was two years younger than Alan. She tells him there was a poblem that she and another engineer named Clark couldnt figure out, and asked him if he could come in and help with it. Alan is excited at the thought of going back into the lab amongst his tools and instruments. Alan initially tells Ann no, as it was the day after his wedding. But Carol tells him it's fine, that she'll just clean up and take a nice bath, since she needs time to herself. Alan is happy, and tells her he'll make it up to her. Alan ended up being a lot later than expected. With three weeks before the launch to the moon, Alan can only think of his work. Carol reminds him of a coktail party he promised they would go to, but he had forgotten, and had planned to work that night. Alan seems faintly aware of how his relationship with Carol is deteriorating, but is euphoric about being able to work with the astronauts at work. One night, Alan accidentally missed a dinner party that Carol had planned and was very important to her. Carol was devastated, and Alan apologized, promising her things would be different once the moon mission was over and he had more time. One day Alan receives a call from George, Carol's father threatening him to a better husband, or else he would easily get his marriage annulled by using his connections with his friends who are judges. Alan feels that Carol deserves more than someone like him, who is not good at love or marriage, so tries to get himself to do better. But it is still difficult with his work. On a different day, Alan comes home with flower's for Carol, but she is not there. There is a note left behind from George telling him that they had taken Carol to the hospital because she had been bleeding. Alan goes to the hospital and finds out that Carol lost the baby. While he felt like he should be relived, but felt a sense of loss. But Carol was devastated. Alan went back to work, and was somewhat relieved about being away from Carol who he didn't know how to comfort. On the day of the launch, everything went wonderfully and everyone celebrated. While he drove home, he was very aware of how empty he felt now that there was no more work to do. He remembered when he met Carol for the first time, and how it felt like a long time ago. He came home to a quiet house, Carol keeping to herself, and with him feeling too awkward to reach out. Alan felt the need to apologize to Carol but couldn't fine the right words. He apologized the simplest way he could, and Carol told him simply that it was fine, it would be okay, and asked him what he wanted for dinner. After the successful mission, Alan wonders what it was all for. Late, Alan finds Carol ins't home, but sees a note on the floor that suggests that Carol is meeting with a priest. Alan thinks of the possibility that she has gone to get their marriage anulled. He decides to go to a diner by himself. George comes in and sits with him and asks him what's wrong. Alan explains how he feels empty after the mission, and how horrible he feels about how he treated Carol. George lends him understanding. He explains that the world needs men who will put everything on the line like he did to achieve great things. He explains how proud he felt when he watched the moon mission on the news. Alan asks him what he should do now that its over and he feels empty. George reminds him that his job is to stop things from breaking. Alan goes home and asks Carol to go to dinner with him. She asks if its to celebrate the landing, and he tells her that they should just go to laugh and hold hands like kids, just the two of them.