The narrator goes into her friend's house for a new film screening. They talk briefly, and the narrator's ring is accidentally entangled with her friend's hair when they hug. The narrator then thinks about how she and her husband lost their actual wedding rings. The friend talks about how she hasn't released a new film for two decades. The film is screened at the friend's house to mixed reviews. Later that night, the narrator struggles to fall asleep and asks her husband to have sex, but they bicker.

The narrator thinks about the incident between herself and her friend which caused them to avoid one another for a while, and only after a while, when her friend gathered enough strength, could they be together again. The day after the new film screening, the friend tells the narrator about how she had sex with a ticket guy. She then invites the narrator for coffee.

The friend's house looks emptier. The narrator and her talk more about the ticket guy and how the narrator left early. The friend feels ambivalent about releasing a film. She doesn't want to be ignored, but she doesn't want to be acknowledged either. When her movie is reviewed in a major publication, she asks the narrator to review it for her, to which the narrator finds that the movie was received well.

The friend's movie is screened at a nearby women's college. During its screening, many students walked out. After the movie was done, a professor took questions. Many students are skeptical of how the movie represents middle-aged women. The narrator thinks it's because they're young and disillusioned with what their futures may look like. The friend explains that she sympathizes with them in their youth but finds that everything changes with marriage and age. The narrator has dinner with her friend and a professor after, during which they talk about the students' reception.

The narrator understands her friend's movie and how it connects to the incident that caused them to drift apart. She thinks about that incident, how she was once asked to watch over her friend's poodle when she went for a trip. She takes the poodle to a dog park, and the poodle bits another dog. The friend comes home, and they argue about how the narrator is a selfish person who blames others. The friend's movie features a similar scene. The narrator, while swimming, ponders how to talk to her friend about it.

The narrator emails her friend's ex-husband to ask if he watched the movie yet. When the narrator visits the friend later, she asks about the ex-husband and what their relationship now is like. The friend feels generally feels freer and like she doesn't have to justify herself to anyone. For a few weeks, the narrator and friend don't see each other. All the while, the narrator still feels regretful about her.

While the narrator drives, she listens to a Bruce Springsteen interview on the radio. He talks about how he and his wife had so much in common already when they met. The narrator meets her friend on a street, and they look at the mountains. They hike and talk about movies. The friend feels like she's better than most, and the narrator tells her that her movies are only going to get better. They keep walking, and then they go home after the friend gives the narrator a DVD to pass along to an editor.