At a lavish welcome dinner held two days before her wedding, thirty-year-old Frankie feels beautifully prepared on the outside and panicked on the inside. Surrounded by family and friends at Darlington Manor, she is jolted by memories of a much earlier wedding under an apple tree, where she and George shared childish vows. The memory makes clear how deeply George is tied to her past and why his absence now feels unbearable.

When Aurora notices Frankie zoning out, Frankie slips away to call George. The call goes straight to voicemail again, and Frankie leaves an increasingly desperate message asking him to come because she does not think she can go through with the festivities without him. Back at the table, Frankie leans on her fiancé, Nate, and tries to focus on the celebration, the guests, and the elaborate weekend she and Nate have planned.

As dinner continues, Frankie reflects on her relationship with Nate and the life she is about to enter. She remembers meeting him soon after quitting her job as a burned-out sous chef, admiring his directness, and quickly accepting a serious commitment with him. She also thinks about her complicated relationship with her mother, who left the family when Frankie was eight, and contrasts that with the lifelong steadiness of George, who has always mattered to her most.

Frankie grows more anxious because George, who promised to be her best man, still has not arrived. Aurora tries to reassure her, but Frankie cannot dismiss the fear that George has finally pulled away after years of distance and their last major fight at Christmas. A text from her brother Moby, warning that she looks ill and could still call off the wedding, sharpens her dread instead of calming it. Frankie tells Aurora she needs the bathroom, and just then she sees him.