Dan retaliates against Diana, upset that he cannot understand why she is so afraid of telling him the truth about her problems. He reminds her that he has always supported her and that this has come to define his identity (“I Am the One”). As Dan accuses Diana of allowing him to carry the family’s emotional burdens, Gabe urges Dan to acknowledge his presence. Gabe goes on to accuse Dan of wanting more than what Diana has the capacity to give him. Diana reiterates that Dan can’t relate to her pain. Gabe and Dan both remind Diana that they have cared and stood by her all this time, but that they also need Diana and won’t ever leave her.

Upstairs, Natalie complains to Henry about her mother’s mental illness. Henry constructs a makeshift hash pipe using an apple, then offers it to Natalie to smoke. Though Henry assures her that it isn’t guaranteed to help, Natalie considers it for a moment, then declines. She opens up about feeling invisible in Diana’s eyes while Gabe remains an immortal heroic figure in her eyes (“Superboy and the Invisible Girl”). Natalie expresses her desire to leave home. When Diana enters the room, Natalie turns her resentment towards her. Diana tries to reassure her that she loves Natalie, but suggests that her love depends on her emotional capacity. After Diana leaves, Natalie takes Henry’s pipe and uses it.

Dan and Diana go to consult a new doctor referred by Dan’s coworkers, a “rock star” whose approach doesn’t rely on medication. The doctor, Doctor Madden, invites Diana into his office. Diana intermittently envisions Doctor Madden as a rock star, alternating between ordinary speech and vocal riffing. He asks her about her medical history, then explains that the onset of mental illness is usually triggered when traumatic events occur. Instead of asking what that event was, Doctor Madden asks her to describe the last time she felt happy. Diana answers that people are either happy or smart enough to see that being happy is actually being stupid. Doctor Madden then asks Diana about her son.

Gabe speaks while Diana remains silent, explaining that he is an idealized version of Diana’s hopes and fears for what Gabe’s life could have been (“I’m Alive”). Gabe insists that he lives through Diana, thriving on her innermost fears and her dependence on his memory. Meanwhile, Dan and Natalie talk about Diana’s new therapy schedule, which requires her to see Doctor Madden four times each week. Both of them feel resigned about Diana’s treatment, unable to offer each other any reassurance. Dan urges Natalie to think less about her comfort and more about helping Diana. Natalie suggests that this is always the case. Natalie goes through Dan and Diana’s medicine cabinet and starts taking Diana’s unused medication for herself.

After four weeks of sessions, Doctor Madden suggests a hypnosis exercise to help Diana talk about what happened to Gabe. Doctor Madden guides Diana to an imagined door, and encourages her to open up her past (“Make Up Your Mind / Catch Me I’m Falling”). Diana reveals that she and Dan were still architecture students in college when Diana became pregnant with Gabe and they decided to marry. Diana hesitates to say what happened next. Doctor Madden reminds her that remembering and healing can sometimes hurt. He recalls an earlier session where Diana felt distanced from her own experiences, and instructs her to close that distance.

Meanwhile, at school, Natalie is nervous before her recital begins. Henry visits her backstage to give her flowers for luck. Natalie confides her anxiety that neither of her parents are in the audience. She looks out into the audience, confirming her worst fears. Simultaneously, Diana tells Doctor Madden that she found it difficult to hold Natalie when she was born. Doctor Madden reminds her to strive for clarity as she recalls the past, indicating that whatever visions she conjures are defense mechanisms meant to help her cope with the pain of her trauma. He highlights the impact that this has on her family, including her strained relationship with Natalie.

Natalie begins playing her recital piece, but is too distraught to perform it. She improvises on the spot. All four members of the family express the sense that they are falling and that they need someone to catch them before they hit the ground. Doctor Madden explains the link between unresolved grief, depression, the fear of experiencing loss again, and anxiety. He suggests that Diana will only continue to fear losing what she lost the more she holds on to it. He asks Diana if she would like to free herself from her attachment to Gabe by clearing out his room, giving herself the space to repair her relationship with Natalie. Diana agrees and starts clearing out baby items from Gabe’s room. Dan applauds her for taking this step.

Diana goes through the baby items and finds a music box (“I Dreamed a Dance”). She remembers fantasizing about sharing a dance with Gabe once he was older. She resolves to keep living until she can fulfill her dream of a dance with Gabe. Gabe appears and tells her about a world where she can live without the pain (“There’s a World”). He invites her to go there with him. 

Doctor Madden shares his case notes with Dan, revealing that Diana survived a suicide attempt and is recovering in isolation. Since Diana has resisted medication, Doctor Madden recommends electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment option, which terrifies Dan. Doctor Madden reassures him that Diana will receive a low-voltage shock and warns him that she may attempt suicide again if left untreated. Since the hospital requires consent from both Dan and Diana to pursue the treatment, Doctor Madden offers to let them think it over.

Back at home, Dan feels unsure about the best way to help Diana (“I’ve Been”). He also worries that if he voices his fears, no one will take them seriously. He cleans up the site of Diana’s suicide attempt, reflecting that Diana nearly walked away from their relationship and that he needs someone to support him. Though Dan is exhausted, his fear of living without Diana reaffirms his resolve to continue supporting her.

Dan briefs Natalie on the new therapy approach they will take with Diana. Doctor Madden briefs Diana on the side effects of electroconvulsive therapy, which include memory loss. Gabe begs Diana not to undergo this form of therapy; Natalie protests against Dan’s decision to permit the treatment. Diana remembers seeing the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and compares her situation to the characters in the film (“Didn’t I See This Movie?”). 

Diana protests that her mental health is not severe enough to merit this kind of treatment. She is about to refuse the treatment, but then Dan arrives and tells Diana that this treatment may be their last chance to move on from the past (“A Light in the Dark”). He repeats his support for her and expresses his hope for their future. Privately, both of them express their fear of going through life alone. They sign the consent form for Diana to undergo treatment.