Sam Masur, a Harvard student weary of crowds and laden with an oversized surplus peacoat, fights through a subway throng gathered around a Magic Eye poster. He spots Sadie Green, a brilliant figure from his Los Angeles competition days, and calls out. They reconnect with easy rapport and shared game references, briefly standing together to “see” the hidden image. Sam pretends he sees it; Sadie gleefully does. She declines coffee, mentions a boyfriend near Harvard Square, and boards her train.

As Sadie departs, Sam debates reaching out, second-guessing whether contact would be welcome. At the last moment, Sadie runs back and presses a 3.25-inch disk—her game, titled Solution—into his hand, noting her email is in the Readme. The brief encounter leaves Sam both elated and fearful that this might be their last meeting.

That night, Sam delays installing Solution while forcing progress on a late junior paper proposal and reflecting on his adviser Anders Larsson’s assessment that being gifted at math isn’t the same as loving it. After dinner with his generous roommate, Marx, they decide to try the game.

Hours pass as Sam and Marx play their first run of Solution. The experience captivates them far beyond expectations; Marx, late for his girlfriend Ajda, pronounces the creator “maybe a genius.” Sam’s encounter with Sadie and the game’s quality suggest a new, more inspired direction than the academic path he has been grudgingly following.