In a flashback to her childhood, Elizabeth recalls an incident where she jumped off a cliff into a quarry because her brother dared her, only to be saved by him when she almost drowned.
Elizabeth is distraught, blaming herself for an unnamed tragedy related to a leash she bought, hinting at Calvin's death.
Elizabeth is in a state of deep mourning, unable to eat or sleep while waiting in vain for Calvin to return.
A mortician frequently calls Elizabeth about funeral preparations, and she is in denial about Calvin's death until seeing his clothes in her closet.
Elizabeth brings Calvin's rowing clothes to the funeral home, but the funeral director has an assistant replace them with a standard suit.
The funeral is well-attended but some there secretly gloat over Calvin's death, seeing it as a victory.
Elizabeth feels unable to approach the coffin for fear of trying to join Calvin in death, and a reporter tries to get her to comment, mistaking her for blind due to her non-engagement.
Elizabeth faces judgment and lack of understanding from her colleagues and others who gossip about her relationship with Calvin.
Elizabeth listens to the funeral proceedings but walks away with her dog, unable to bear the pain, and walks home, ignoring offers of a ride.
Returning to work, Elizabeth finds her coworkers avoiding her and she feels out of place.
Elizabeth enters Calvin's cleaned lab and finds a box containing personal items and a surprising engagement ring.
Miss Frask from Personnel tells Elizabeth she cannot keep Calvin's personal items or bring her dog to work anymore, and she subtly insults Elizabeth.
Miss Frask informs Elizabeth of extra bereavement leave but insists she takes it at home, with her dog.
In an interaction filled with condescension and misunderstanding, Miss Frask suggests that Elizabeth will find another man to marry and stop her scientific work.
Elizabeth is physically sick after Miss Frask implies that biology means that Calvin left her "something else," alluding to a possible pregnancy.
Elizabeth discovers a newspaper article that paints Calvin in an unflattering light and suggests that she barely knew him, further upsetting her.