Oscar arrives at the cabin with a big bouquet of flowers for Vivian. He wants to talk, but she is angry. He has left Carla, but he never told Carla about Vivian. Now, he promises to tell Carla about Vivian in person as soon as he gets home. Vivian used to believe in fairy-tale endings, but overhearing Hank’s phone call ended that. Then, she got cheated on by multiple boyfriends. She now wonders if monogamy is even sustainable when humans are so flawed. However, when she and Oscar have sex, she feels loved.

Lucy calls Caleb and invites him over to the cabin. He is there when she arrives and admits that he accidentally walked in on Vivian and Oscar. Everyone completes awkward introductions. Vivian makes pizza, but Lucy is still too angry to accept this peace offering. Vivian tells Oscar that she and Lucy were getting along, and he is curious about Caleb. There is still tension between Vivian and Oscar.

Vivian recalls having brunch on Father’s Day. On that day, Celeste had to leave early, and when Vivian told Hank that she was dating her boss, he was furious. She resented his hypocrisy. When she said that Oscar was going to leave his wife for her, Hank was disappointed, and she lashed out. He denied having another family, and she accused him of cheating. He was horrified, and she realized how little he must think of her and wondered if she got her accusations wrong. She stormed out, and he chased her, but she was too afraid of learning that she ruined her relationship with Hank over an error. He died later that day.

Now, Lucy tells Caleb that she could never cheat on someone; she feels sorry for Carla. Oscar opens a bottle of champagne, and the tension between him and Lucy builds. Eventually, Lucy tells Oscar that he cannot win her over, and he says that he doesn’t know why Vivian is wasting her time with Lucy. Hearing this, Vivian suddenly sees the similarities between Oscar and Hank, and the realization makes her sick. She realizes that she can’t be with him. He tries to change her mind, but she can hear how much he hates it here and how condescending he is, and she realizes that he lacks respect for this part of her life. She tells Oscar that they are finished. Suddenly, the power goes out.

Vivian says that she will send her formal resignation letter in to work tomorrow. Oscar is bitterly angry and predicts that she’ll get bored of the woods soon. He leaves in a huff. Lucy and Caleb hear everything and are impressed with Vivian. A few minutes later, Oscar returns—soaked—and says that a tree fell onto the road, blocking his departure. Vivian allows him to stay on the couch and goes up to bed alone. She wonders if Oscar has changed or if she has. The next morning, she overhears Lucy telling Oscar that Vivian deserves better than him. Soon, the road is cleared, and Vivian is glad to see Oscar leave.

After Caleb leaves, Lucy feels that she can’t give Vivian the silent treatment any longer. Vivian apologizes for going back on her word about selling the cabin and admits to being selfish. She knows that she’ll be as bad as Hank if she cuts Lucy out of her decision-making, and she wants to give Lucy the respect she deserves. She says that they can wait until the end of summer to decide on the house and then split the proceeds if they sell. Lucy is stunned, but she finally feels appreciated.

The women go for a boat ride and discuss their different memories of Hank. Vivian talks about how critical he was, how she confronted him when he judged her relationship with Oscar, and how he died later that day. They see two little girls splashing in the water, playing and holding hands, and neither Vivian nor Lucy can look away. Vivian suggests that they go to Portland for dinner; they do, and they have a great time. After dinner, they walk to the waterfront, and Vivian can’t help but compare this city to New York, as it feels vibrant without being chaotic. She wonders whether a chic wine bar could flourish in Portland.

One lazy afternoon in mid-August, Vivian unearths a box of stuffed, sealed envelopes. Most are labeled “Dawn,” but there is one envelope each for Vivian and Lucy. Vivian tells Lucy what she found, and they open their letters. Both are dated as being from May of their senior year of high school. In Vivian’s letter, Hank commends her hard work and tells her about Dawn and Lucy. He acknowledges that he kept his secret to avoid hurting Vivian and Celeste, though his relationship with Vivian has suffered as a result. He hopes that Vivian can forgive him. Reading the letter, Vivian is furious and blames him for not telling her face-to-face or apologizing.

In Lucy’s letter, Hank congratulates her on her graduation and apologizes to her for missing milestones. He explains that he thought his decision to avoid discussing his life in New York was the “kindest choice.” He says that he’s proud of Lucy but not of his own decisions, and he expresses a desire to play a bigger role of her life. He invites her to New York to meet Vivian. Lucy is shocked by his acceptance of his responsibility. She and Vivian swap letters, and Vivian is struck by the warmth that Hank shows Lucy and feels a little cheated by this. She feels that he loved Lucy more than he loved her, and she says that he was a coward not to send the letters.

They invite Dawn to the house, and they tell stories about Hank over dinner before going for a ride on the boat. They tell Dawn about the letters, and she opens the first one. Hank wrote it just days after he learned about Lucy, and his words are laden with shame and regret. He wrote one letter per year on their anniversary, and he eventually recognized that he had made a mistake and chose the wrong woman. His admission makes Dawn sad, but she keeps reading, wondering why Hank didn’t reply to her letter. She gets frustrated thinking about what might have been.