Evelyn and Don arrive in Puerto Vallarta to shoot One More Day, initially extending their newlywed bliss with parties, ocean outings, and intense intimacy. As production begins, Don’s mood shifts under pressure: his Western, The Gun at Point Dume, is panned, threatening his desired action-hero image, while Evelyn has just won an Audience Appreciation Award, highlighting the imbalance he fears.

The strain surfaces when Don orders breakfast and erupts over minor slights. On the drive to set he fixates on gossip, via agent Alan Thomas, that the marquee should read “Don and Evelyn Adler,” suggesting Evelyn overshadows him. After arriving late, Evelyn rebukes Don’s entitlement. In his trailer, Don declares they are not equals and demands she stop acting to have children. When Evelyn refuses, Don slaps her, leaving her humiliated and fighting automatic tears.

Thinking quickly, Evelyn crafts a cover: she instructs Don to tell the assistant director Bobby she has “lady troubles” and staggers the wardrobe calls. Alone, she breaks down, then composes herself. Hairdresser Gwendolyn arrives, recognizes the injury, and—without naming it—helps conceal the redness, participating in the unspoken code of silence surrounding abuse.

On set, as the director is momentarily distracted, Don privately apologizes through covered microphones, expressing shame and begging forgiveness. Shocked to receive an apology—for the first time from a man who hit her—Evelyn forgives him, and they proceed to film the final beach goodbye scene, channeling their emotions into the performance.

One More Day is a public triumph that results in Academy Award nominations for both Evelyn and Don, feeding their image as an adored screen couple. Privately, the film becomes unwatchable for Evelyn, forever associated with the first time Don hit her and the fragile truce that followed.