Margaret works front-of-house at a Thursday evening performance of the Goldberg Variations at the Clogherkeen Arts Centre. As she tears tickets, manages the hall, and introduces the young Belfast pianist, she thinks of Ivan, who told her on the phone the previous night that Bach was his favourite composer and that he'd be sorry to miss the show. During the performance, she reflects on the tentative plans they've been making — Ivan visiting during the week, meeting in Dublin during the chess event, and even the possibility of introducing him to her friends. She imagines telling Anna about Ivan but recognizes how unimaginable such a relationship would seem to anyone who knows her.

After the concert, Margaret and Anna go to the Cobweb pub. They discuss their respective mothers — Margaret's overburdened, dismissive mother Bridget, and Anna's irrationally anxious mother Nuala — and Margaret shows Anna a photo of a dishwasher she bought for her mother. When Margaret goes to the bar for another round, she is approached by Ollie Lyons, captain of the local chess club, who tells her he spotted Ivan at the bus station in town. His manner implies he suspects a connection between Margaret and Ivan. Margaret is visibly shaken, and Anna notices immediately. Margaret tells Anna she's been "very foolish" and needs to go home, refusing Anna's offer to come to her house. Anna walks her to the car, asking gently if Margaret's distress is related to someone she's been seeing, but Margaret deflects.

Driving home, Margaret spirals through anxious thoughts: Ollie's insinuating smile, the possibility that her ex-husband Ricky could find out, the potential for gossip reaching her mother, friends, and colleagues. She imagines Ricky showing up drunk at her office demanding answers. Once home, she sits in the dark kitchen and calls Ivan. He remembers someone making a comment about Margaret at the chess workshop, suggesting people may have suspected their connection for some time. Margaret tells Ivan she fears Ricky finding out, though she clarifies he's not violent — she simply doesn't want to hurt him. Ivan reassures her, saying she hasn't done anything wrong, and acknowledges that people are judgemental and that Margaret is hard on herself too. He tells her he wishes he were older, to spare her the difficulty.

Ivan then shares his own news: his dog Alexei is now staying with him in his flat, though pets aren't allowed. He proposes a logistical plan to bring the dog to Margaret's in Leitrim for the weekend, involving a train to Kildare to pick up his father's car and then driving with Alexei. Margaret agrees to the plan, amused and touched. They share a quiet moment of silence on the phone before hanging up. Alone in her kitchen, Margaret reflects on how her life has gradually become unrecognizable — she is lying to nearly everyone, caring too deeply for an "unsuitable" person, and unable to envision her future. She concludes that life's constraints come from other people, and freedom is never total: Ivan's presence in her life creates new demands just as it loosens old ones, making everything more complex, which is to say, more full of life.