Henry wakes in his apartment to traffic and sunlight, hungover and disoriented. He remembers Tabitha rejecting him and drinking afterward, along with fragments that feel like a dream: heavy rain, a stranger in a black suit, and the word deal. When he notices shallow cuts on his palm, blood on the sheets, and a broken bottle, Henry realizes at least part of the night was real.

Henry then discovers an unfamiliar watch on his wrist, heavy like a shackle. It comes off easily, but the back is etched with the words Live well, and its face shows a single golden hand hovering just past midnight. Henry tries to dismiss the stranger as a fever dream, yet the watch’s solid weight and steady, inexplicable motion leave him unsettled.

A knock at the door reveals Henry’s sister, Muriel, visiting unusually and checking on him after Beatrice texted about Tabitha. Muriel offers sympathy and blunt encouragement, reminds him it is Rosh Hashanah, and leaves with a warning not to let his “storm cloud” get too dark.

Still emotionally unmoored, Henry stops at Roast for coffee and is startled when the barista “Vanessa” actually looks him in the eye, makes small talk, and seems genuinely interested in his work at The Last Word. After he gets his drink, Henry finds she has written her name and phone number on the bottom of the cup, a sudden, unfamiliar sign of attention.

At the bookstore, the day continues to feel wrong in the same way: customers respond warmly, accept Henry’s recommendations, and even leave contact information. Robbie arrives to comfort Henry about Tabitha, then Beatrice storms in furious that her adviser rejected her dissertation proposal; Robbie fetches whisky, closes the shop early, and the three drink together. On the floor among the shelves, Bea tells Henry he deserves to be loved as he is and points out he has been hiding himself for years, and Robbie proposes a toast “to new beginnings.”