On Bobby’s seventh birthday, both sides of the family gather at Blakely Farm, making the day especially important because Jimmy is bringing his new girlfriend, Nina. Beth explains that Jimmy met Nina when she got lost near the fields and he drove her home on his tractor. Because Jimmy’s drinking can suddenly lead to trouble, Beth, Frank, and David quietly hope Nina might steady him.

Beth’s parents and her sister Eleanor arrive first with presents. Eleanor, now a successful London solicitor, delights Bobby with a battery-powered record player, feeding his growing obsession with Elvis Presley. While the women prepare Bobby’s favorite meal, Beth watches her father help Bobby with an Airfix model and reflects on how deeply Bobby has become the center of the family.

When Nina arrives, she immediately wins everyone over by confidently walking into the crowded house and presenting Bobby with blue suede boots. Bobby is thrilled, and the mood turns festive as Jimmy hoists him onto his shoulders and Nina dances with him to “Blue Suede Shoes.” Beth later thinks this was the moment both Jimmy and Bobby fell in love with Nina, because Bobby watches her for the rest of the evening with total devotion.

At dinner, the family follows its familiar pattern of warmth, laughter, and occasional political friction. Then Beth’s mother announces she has been offered a headship in Cork, Ireland, fulfilling Beth’s father’s old dream of living there. Beth is shocked because Bobby has bound the family so closely together, but she quickly supports their decision, hiding her sadness so her parents can feel free to go.

As the evening continues, Bobby studies the new romance between Jimmy and Nina and asks direct questions about love and marriage. His innocent final question—whether it is normal to love one person for life or to love others first—suddenly hushes the table and exposes the history beneath Beth and Frank’s marriage. Beth answers that what matters is finding the right person in the end, and Frank seals the moment with a toast, turning Bobby’s question into a quiet acknowledgment of their shared, complicated life.