In a magazine advice column, Dinah Newman offers guidance to young brides, reinforcing her public persona as a perfect homemaker. Her recommendations are traditional and conservative, advising fiancées on financial planning, modest public behavior, and appropriate social conduct. She also provides tips for hosting a wedding reception, including serving non-alcoholic punch, and offers post-honeymoon advice on lingerie, personal hygiene, and etiquette.

The doctor informs Dinah that they plan to bring Del out of his medically induced coma, though he warns that the process will be slow. That night, feeling a mixture of hope and anxiety, Dinah drinks and dances to her old records. Sydney calls in a rage to report that two major sponsors, Procter & Gamble and Listerine, have dropped the show due to low ratings and the fallout from Shep’s Life article.

Searching Del’s office for financial papers, Dinah discovers that their bank accounts are dangerously low. She then finds a box containing a deed to a house in Santa Monica and a series of canceled checks, dated over the past 12 years, made out to someone named “M. Leslie.” Suspecting that these documents are evidence of Del’s long-term affair and secret life, she confronts Sydney, who knows nothing. She hangs up on him, overwhelmed by the secrets and the possibility that Del may never wake to explain them.

Juliet visits The Musician at his home in Laurel Canyon. She asks for his opinion of Shep, and he offers a surprisingly positive assessment of Shep’s talent and voice, with a hint of jealousy. The Musician plays a new song for Juliet, and despite her intention to keep her distance, she feels their connection rekindle. He tells her he misses her, and she admits she feels the same. However, Juliet resolves that this must be her last visit, reminding herself of her feminist ideals and the negative press their relationship once generated.

At the LA Times, Juliet and her colleague, Nick, work on a story about the Boston Strangler victims. Afterward, Dinah meets Juliet outside the building and frantically explains that the show has lost its sponsors and she has discovered Del’s secret financial arrangements with M. Leslie. Dinah says she can no longer afford to fund the finale or pay Juliet, and she abruptly ends their collaboration.

Dinah leaves, then calls Sydney and demands creative control over any future articles published under her name. Back in the newsroom, a frustrated Juliet confronts Charlie over his sexism, telling him and his friends to stop harassing women. Renee quietly celebrates her defiant stand.

That evening, Kelly joins a civil rights protest but is disappointed by Guy’s absence. Police break up the protest, and Kelly is injured. At the Whisky a Go Go, Shep and his friend, Hutch, take drugs and dance, but a Beatles song makes Shep emotional over Eileen, and he starts to cry.

Guy meets Kelly at a hot dog stand and feels guilty about his injury. They visit the Red Raven, a gay-friendly bar, where Guy is moved by the atmosphere of freedom. Meanwhile, Shep and Hutch get into a brawl with aggressive men on the Sunset Strip.

Dinah drives to the Santa Monica address she found and secretly observes the house. As she peers into a window, a neighbor spots her and calls out.

Later, the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station is chaotic and full of people who have been arrested after the riot on the Sunset Strip. Sydney arrives for Shep and Hutch. Lorrie has also come to bail Shep out. Guy and Eileen arrive soon after; he and Kelly were arrested in a raid on the Red Raven bar and Eileen bailed them out. A tense argument breaks out between the brothers, during which Guy has a mental health crisis, venting years of repressed frustration. In the middle of the argument, they are stunned to see Dinah being escorted through the lobby by a police officer.

Sydney drives Dinah home from the station, followed by her sons. Though initially furious about her arrest as a “Peeping Tom,” Dinah and Sydney end up laughing over the absurdity of the night. Outside, Eileen formally ends her engagement with Guy, telling him there are “too many hearts at stake” (256). After she leaves, Shep confesses to Guy that Lorrie is pregnant. Guy then reveals the engagement is off, implying Shep now has a chance with Eileen.

Inside, Dinah gathers her sons and Sydney. She confirms they have lost their sponsors, and Guy announces both the broken engagement and that he has dropped out of law school. Dinah calmly devises a plan to sell Del’s assets to self-finance the finale. Guy finds Kelly in the guesthouse and tells him his engagement to Eileen is over; they reconcile and kiss. Late that night, Dinah asks Shep to write a new, authentic song for the finale, giving him her full trust.

Dinah and Juliet host a “consciousness-raising” meeting at the Newman house. The attendees include Eileen and co-actress Peggy Livingston, Renee and fellow journalist Paula Goodman, and Benny. Dinah insists that her housekeeper, Flora, also participate. The women discuss Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963), critiquing its limited perspective while debating sexism, marriage, careers, and personal fulfillment. The conversation becomes a raw and honest exchange of their experiences as women in 1964.

Feeling a powerful sense of camaraderie, the women spontaneously run to nearby Toluca Lake and go swimming. Flora, at first hesitant, joins them in the water. Afterward, as they talk on the shore, they share their hopes for a future with more freedom and equality. Returning to the house, they startle a neighbor, who crashes his lawnmower.

The next day, Dinah works on the finale script, using a recording of the women’s meeting for inspiration. She receives a call from Mrs. Sunbeam, who confirms that the Sunbeam Corporation will sponsor the show’s finale. Elated, Dinah hangs up, but the phone rings again almost immediately. It is Dr. Carson from the hospital, who informs her that Del’s heart has stopped. Although he was revived, the doctor urges her to come at once.

Guy speeds his family to the hospital. Dinah struggles with how to say goodbye, while Shep is consumed with guilt for never having visited his father. At the emergency room, they find Sydney talking with Dr. Carson. Bracing for the worst, the family approaches. Dr. Carson turns and tells them that Del is awake. They stand in stunned silence.