The protagonist, Nora, finds herself in a new life where she works in a modern, grey-bricked, single-story dog rescue center, which she quickly adjusts to due to familiar elements such as name tags and the helpful guidance of a woman named Pauline.
Nora spends her mornings feeding and walking the dogs, and particularly bonds with a traumatized bullmastiff named Sally. She also cleans the cages and plays with an Alsatian named Diesel.
Through her interactions, Nora finds she likes this life and the version of herself within it. She reflects on the concept of compassion as the basis of life and morality.
At the dog center, Nora interacts with Dylan, a fellow worker and her boyfriend in this life, who is kind and gentle. She discovers that they had attended the same secondary school, and recalls seeing him during a significant moment in her past, when her dad died.
The chapter ends with Dylan and Nora sitting on a bench, eating lunch and discussing plans for dinner and a movie; they are considering moving in together. Nora appreciates Dylan's simplicity and pureness, likening him to a dog himself.