Patch arrives at Misty Meyer’s house for dinner and nearly turns back, intimidated by the grand white colonial and by the social distance between Misty’s world and his own. Misty takes the flowers he brings, and Mrs. Meyer immediately makes clear that Misty has been waiting nervously for him. As Mrs. Meyer leads Patch toward the house, she talks about the carefully maintained gardens and the family’s old property, while Patch tries to absorb everything around him.

At the door, Mr. Meyer greets Patch with forceful gratitude and scrutiny, signaling both appreciation for what Patch once did for Misty and his judgment of the boy standing before him. Mr. Meyer gives Patch a strong drink before dinner, and Patch struggles through the discomfort of being in such a formal, wealthy setting. The evening becomes a test of manners and class as Patch tries to follow the Meyers’ rules and expectations.

During the five-course meal, Misty talks about swim meets and track, while her parents try to shape the conversation toward the interests they value. Mr. Meyer presents Misty as someone who should go into politics, but Misty pushes back, reminding him of her campaigning and exposing the family’s tensions around religion, politics, and public image. Mrs. Meyer then turns the talk toward travel and the arts, highlighting how far Patch’s life has been from theirs.

When Patch asks about Swan Lake and its characters, Mrs. Meyer brightens and takes him to another room to find an old program from a performance at the New York State Theater. Patch studies the program closely, but his interest is not cultural admiration. Instead, Patch asks whether the theater would have kept a list of ticket buyers, revealing that he is trying to use even this refined memory as another possible path in his search.

As Mrs. Meyer chatters about other ballets and tragic endings, Patch stops listening. The mention of lovers reunited in death pulls Patch back to Grace, and his thoughts become consumed by her. What begins as an awkward dinner with Misty’s family ends by showing that Patch cannot stay present for ordinary life because grief and the search still govern his mind.