Ruth was a graduate student at Case Western studying applied mathematics when she met Gus, a carpenter. She fell in love with him because of his practicality and sincerity on the first date. He felt out of place with her posh Boston family, but she immediately hit it off with his father, who lived amidst charming Ohio farms. He showed her Queen Elizabeth, the massive oak tree in their farmyard, and explained his desks to her, with their three legs for optimal stability. They married. However, Ruth miscarried, and their relationship faltered with grief. Both their fathers passed away. Eventually, they found their way back to each other, and Annabelle was born. For a while, they were happy, if tired. But when Annabelle was four, the doctors found a malignant tumor in her brain. They both dealt with the pain of it differently. After Annabelle's passing, they said horrible things to each other and separated. Gus moved back to the farm, worked more carpentry jobs, and built desks. Ruth moved back to Boston, dated a man named Harold Gutman, finished her dissertation, and ended up teaching at a nearby community college, a job she found with some surprise that she liked. A few years later, she sees a desk on three legs in a shop window, and she knows who had made it immediately. She starts buying the desks, using any excuse to add another to her home. Finally, the furniture salesman offers to introduce her to the carpenter, and she agrees. When she arrives, Gus is shocked. They take a walk together and end up at a tea shop. They notice the changes in each other and speak hesitantly, unsure of their footing after so many years. Finally, Ruth brings up Annabelle, and they talk about their grief. Ruth cries, and Gus lets her. The waiter brings the check but they both ignore it as they try to draw out the moment as long as possible.