Purple State

Dot’s thoughts are interrupted by her senior vice president, a boss she dislikes for his condescending attitude and for promoting a less-qualified male colleague over her. After he leaves, Dot finishes her work presentation, feeling a growing sense of career dissatisfaction and a fear that she is falling behind in life. She is hosting her friends, Mary and Harper, for a political conference call later that evening. Before leaving, Dot performs her meticulous clean-desk routine, a source of personal organization. She hesitates, then decides to leave Ryan’s flowers at the office, turning out the light and heading home.

Walking home through Central Park, Dot listens to a political podcast, a habit from her politically active upbringing. At her apartment building, the Buckley, she speaks with her favorite doorman, Albert Hawkins, an elderly veteran she has known since childhood. They briefly discuss the upcoming presidential election. Inside her apartment, Dot receives a text from Ryan inviting her to a special-occasion dinner at Peak, a restaurant on the 101st floor. Suspecting he plans to propose, she grows anxious and puts her phone down without replying.

The narrative shifts to Mary Russo, a young lawyer working in New York City. While successful and well-paid, she finds corporate law unfulfilling and boring. Tasked with delivering a phone charger to a partner at the district court, Mary passes a Legal Aid office. A sign asking for volunteers for Family Court catches her eye. A handsome man named Manny Rios comes out to speak with her, explaining the need for advocates for foster children. They share a flirtatious conversation, and Mary feels an unexpected spark of attraction. She has avoided dating since ending a frightening, possessive relationship with a law-school boyfriend that resulted in a restraining order, which makes this attraction surprise her. She ignores it and quickly continues on her errand.

Harper Lee Adler, an English teacher at a private high school who once dreamed of becoming a novelist, prepares to meet with parents angry about their son’s poor grade. She reflects on how she ended up teaching after following her surfer boyfriend, Charles “Kai” Calhoun, on a volunteer trip to Senegal. The trip ended in heartbreak when she discovered him cheating. She returned to New York, moving back into her childhood bedroom. In the present, the school principal, Edith Thistlewood, fails to support Harper, forcing her to allow the student to rewrite his paper. Upset, Harper leaves school and walks to Dot’s apartment. She meets Mary outside the building, and they go up together.

At Dot’s apartment, the three friends discuss their professional frustrations. Harper recounts her troubles with entitled parents and her lingering anger toward Kai. They join a political Zoom call hosted by a former NYU classmate, Kaitlyn “Kitty” Bell, who is now the executive director of a Democratic super PAC called For the Win (FTW).

After a kick-off from George and Amal Clooney, Kitty outlines FTW’s new initiative: selected volunteers will have their expenses paid to relocate to battleground states for approximately ten and a half months, gathering observations and political intelligence for the organization. Wisconsin is FTW’s top target. Watching Kitty makes Dot reconsider her own decision to pursue tech PR rather than politics. Acting on impulse, she asks a question about the Wisconsin location, surprising Mary and Harper. Although Dot insists she is merely curious, the opportunity clearly appeals to her.

The next morning, Dot thinks about Kitty’s political project during her run. Before work, she finally texts Ryan, suggesting a more casual dinner at Joanne, a restaurant near her apartment, which he agrees to. At the office, Dot discovers a confidential employee review spreadsheet left at the printer. Nearly everyone is rated “Meets” or “Below” expectations, while only Dot and an accounting employee receive “Exceeds.” A note directs the company to reassign client work to Dot. She realizes the firm plans to downsize and load the departing employees’ work onto her even though she already works 12-hour days. The discovery confirms her dissatisfaction with her job and strengthens her desire for a change.

After a successful pitch meeting, Dot deals with a hostile client who threatens to fire the firm if she doesn’t get him booked on CNBC by the end of the day. Feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of her job and personal life, she goes for a walk down Fifth Avenue. Her day takes a shocking turn when she sees Ryan walking into Tiffany & Co. Convinced he is buying an engagement ring, she follows him inside while on a panicked phone call with Mary. Hiding behind a pillar, Dot watches him look at rings on the third floor before she flees the store, her anxieties now at a breaking point.

Mary endures a boring blind date with Ricky Molinaro, a man from her Staten Island neighborhood whom her mother set her up with. The next day, questioning whether corporate law is meaningful enough for her, she returns to the Legal Aid office to inquire about volunteering. She hopes to see Manny again, but her hopes are dashed when he introduces her to his boyfriend, Rafael Hernandez. Mortified by her misinterpretation of their earlier interaction, Mary lies and says she has been called back to work, then hurriedly leaves.

Harper’s day begins with a flood in her apartment bathroom. At school, she learns that another wealthy family has filed an official complaint against her. The headmaster, Phil Swift, appears sympathetic and invites her to dinner to discuss the matter. However, his true intentions become clear at dinner when he talks about fixing her problems then places a hotel key card on the bar. Disgusted and furious, Harper pretends to use the restroom, slips out of the restaurant, and takes a taxi to her brother Ernest’s apartment.

Dot’s dinner with Ryan is tense. He announces he has booked them a weekend trip to a vineyard where a friend recently proposed. The conversation worsens when he praises a Republican governor’s policies supporting stay-at-home mothers, revealing his traditional expectations for a wife. Horrified, Dot realizes their values are completely misaligned.

Outside her building, she refuses to let him come up and ends their relationship on the street. After he leaves, Albert comforts her as she cries. The next morning, Dot wakes up with a new sense of clarity and a career idea.

The three friends meet for dinner. Dot confirms she broke up with Ryan, and Harper announces she quit her teaching job after the headmaster sexually harassed her. With all of them feeling stuck, Dot formally proposes they move to Cedar Falls, Wisconsin, for the year to participate in FTW’s election project. She reiterates that FTW will cover all the expenses.

Mary is initially hesitant to leave New York, and Harper worries about money. However, the prospect of a meaningful adventure, a fresh start, and a chance for Harper to focus on her writing proves convincing. After confirming that they will return the day after the election, November 8, they all agree. Dot immediately calls Kitty to accept the offer.

The following weeks are a flurry of preparations. Dot’s and Harper’s families enthusiastically support the move, with Harper’s parents even giving her money to support her fresh start. Dot resigns from her job and shares an emotional goodbye with Albert, while Mary gets approval to work remotely from her law firm. After Mary sends a threatening legal letter, Harper’s landlord agrees to release her from her lease. Her family is sad to see her go but gives her their blessing. The night before their departure, the friends exchange excited texts. On the plane to Milwaukee, they are filled with anticipation for their adventure. As the plane takes off, Dot looks out at the New York City skyline and promises to come back.