Alice and Hayden walk through Bonaventure Cemetery, where a glimpse of an active funeral triggers Hayden’s grief over Len’s death. They share personal memories of funerals for Len and Alice’s father, and Hayden gently takes Alice’s hand. Their conversation hints at a photo Alice has seen that could affect whether she accepts the job tied to Margaret’s story; Hayden urges her to understand the photo before deciding.

Back at Alice’s house, they cook a Southern dinner together and talk about Hayden’s upbringing, his mother’s solitary relationship to cooking, and questions of purpose. Alice asks whether free will exists; Hayden says much is beyond control but believes people can choose to hold on to what matters to avoid regrets. Their bond strengthens as they exchange quiet affection and promises of care.

The narrative shifts to Margaret’s interview. Working in her garden with Alice, Margaret describes the first year of her marriage to Cosmo Sinclair as both the best and worst of her life. After Laura left for Dr. David Atwood’s New Mexico “center,” Margaret honored Laura’s request for no contact, writing unsent letters while their parents received one note from Laura asking for more space and claiming boundary crossings hindered her “healing journey.”

Margaret read Atwood’s writings and found them vague and apocalyptic, appealing to Laura’s anxiety and search for purpose. Margaret later learned Laura had been sending Atwood money and likely financed the center. Concerned, Margaret, her parents, and Cosmo hired a private investigator, who returned with photos of Laura with Atwood and another woman; Laura looked thinner but genuinely happy, which both relieved and pained Margaret.

Margaret tried touring with Cosmo but disliked sharing him with the public and returned home, triggering tabloid speculation about infidelity. She avoided asking Cosmo direct questions, accepted his daily calls, and occasionally surprised him on tour. A pregnancy scare terrified her, and after intense relief they argued over her uncertainty about having children. In weakness she broke her no-contact resolution and mailed Laura a letter about it, but received no reply, and eventually learned to carry the pain while building a life.

Margaret and Cosmo hosted dinners, attended galas, reconciled after fights, and he wrote her tender ballads. They often spent Sundays with her parents and Roy, especially as Frederick aged and needed company. After the Beatles arrived in the U.S. in 1964, Cosmo’s career pace slowed and public mockery grew, shrinking his world under relentless paparazzi.

As time passed, the family spoke less about Laura. Bernie secretly continued periodic private-investigator check-ins despite Frederick’s anger. One Sunday, Frederick called Margaret and Bernie into the library and bluntly announced they were being extorted. While Bernie demanded details, Margaret instantly sensed the source. When Frederick handed over the letter, Margaret recognized Laura’s handwriting, eclipsing all else with the realization that Laura had finally written.