At the gym, Mike, Chris, and Jesse question Xavier about Samantha’s departure two weeks ago. He admits to avoiding them because he wasn’t ready to discuss her. When asked if he’s talked to Samantha, Xavier reveals he only texted to inquire about her safe arrival and her cat’s bowel movements, prompting criticism from his friends for this clinical approach.

Mike and the others encourage Xavier to pursue a long-distance relationship with Samantha, suggesting he take time off or reduce his volunteer time to visit her. Xavier dismisses these suggestions, citing his veterinary clinic responsibilities, lack of free time, and financial constraints, which include student loans and clinic payments.

While checking to see if Samantha has viewed his Instagram stories, Xavier discovers his estranged father has been monitoring his posts. This triggers memories of his parents’ attempt to reconnect through a family friend, who tried to guilt him into caring for them despite their past abuse. Xavier resolves to maintain emotional distance without actively blocking his father online.

Samantha stands with her grandmother outside the garage, surprised to find that the car she is expected to use is a teal 1966 Dodge Dart convertible, rather than something practical. Despite concerns about gas mileage and lack of air conditioning, Samantha accepts the vehicle after learning her mother loved and drove it throughout high school and college.

She decides to take her mother for a drive, hoping to spark her memory, but it proves disastrous. Her mother insists on driving, locks herself in, and begins backing toward the street before Samantha stops her.

The next morning, Samantha’s brother Tristan returns home, causing tension over living space. The family discusses household responsibilities and potential renovations to Grandma’s deteriorating house, agreeing to split costs. They also discuss looking for the family jewelry, which Lisa hid somewhere. During this conversation, Samantha receives a call from Xavier, who wants to visit her in California. She is surprised but happily agrees despite recognizing the impracticality of the situation.

Xavier arrives at the Los Angeles airport where Samantha waits for him in her blue convertible. Spotting her before she sees him, he immediately realizes that visiting her will be financially draining but emotionally worthwhile. When they embrace, he feels an overwhelming sense of contentment.

Xavier presents Samantha with cupcakes from Nadia Cakes, a place she loved in Minnesota. She appreciates the gesture and promises to take him to eat “the best burger you’ve ever had” (99). As they stand embracing in the airport pickup area, both are visibly delighted by their reunion despite the geographical challenges facing their relationship.

Samantha and Xavier sit at a tiny table at In-N-Out burger in Los Angeles. When asked about his burger, Xavier notes that it needed mustard, prompting Samantha to laugh. They discuss her social media work for Murkle’s Mustard, and Samantha explains that she’s waiting for the perfect brand collaboration opportunities now that the company has grown.

Xavier reveals that he canceled his weekend volunteer work to visit her, and they both acknowledge they don’t know what they’re doing by seeing each other despite living in separate parts of the country. They decide to visit Santa Monica, where Xavier experiences the ocean for the first time.

As they walk down the pier, Xavier holds Samantha’s hand and positions himself protectively between her and potential threats. Samantha reflects on how safe Xavier makes her feel. At the pier’s edge, they look out over the water together, and Samantha contemplates her mother’s condition, contemplating how memories fade backward and thinking that a peaceful final memory like this moment “wouldn’t be so bad” (104).

Xavier and Samantha ride the Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier, with Samantha clinging to him in terror despite claiming she’s only afraid of falling, not heights. Xavier finds her fear amusing but enjoys comforting her. He reflects on how natural their connection feels, as though they’ve known each other for much longer than they actually have.

To distract Samantha from her fear, Xavier asks about her family. She describes her sister Jeneva, recently divorced after discovering her husband’s sex addiction, her wandering brother Tristan (talented but uncommitted), her hippie grandmother from Mexico, and her parents’ first meeting—her father gave her mother a ride after she broke her heel.

When they stop at the wheel’s peak, Samantha points out a riptide, explaining that fighting it leads to exhaustion and drowning—the only survival strategy is to let it carry you out. Xavier contemplates California’s differences from Minnesota and how sharply these new experiences with Samantha are embedding in his memory.

Samantha and Xavier sit on the Santa Monica beach after sunset, having spent the day exploring Venice Beach, getting ice cream, visiting the pier, and sharing seafood. Samantha reflects on Xavier’s attentiveness throughout their outing—finding shells for her, trading ice cream when she preferred his, and wrapping her in his towel when it got windy.

When Xavier asks about her mother’s condition, Samantha explains her history of concussions from cheerleading and car accidents. Xavier then shares the painful story of his childhood dog Winnie: Each time she had a litter of puppies, his father would drown them. Desperate for help, 12-year-old Xavier walked miles in the snow to a veterinarian who spayed her for free, a pivotal experience that inspired his career. Their conversation culminates in a passionate kiss.

They continue the kiss back at Samantha’s apartment over her grandmother’s garage until her air mattress deflates. Before they can rekindle the romance, Samantha hears cries from outside. They find Samantha’s mother tangled in an old piñata, hysterical and confused. After Xavier calms her mother, they discover that Samantha’s father is missing. The unsettling incident ends with them retreating to Xavier’s seedy hotel room, where despite the uncomfortable accommodations, they fall asleep holding each other.

Xavier wakes early, leaves sleeping Samantha, and returns with coffee and roses. They discuss plans to buy a mattress and visit the LA Zoo. At breakfast, they discuss her father’s mysterious absence and her mother’s dementia, reflecting on the profound loss of shared memories.

After breakfast, when Xavier opens an air vent in Samantha’s sweltering car, a torrent of dried avocado leaves suddenly erupts, followed by a petrified mouse that sends Samantha into hysterics. As Xavier tosses the mouse out the window, they alternate between laughter and disgust.

A passing motorist offers jumper cables, assuming they’ve broken down. As “Come On Eileen” coincidentally plays on the radio, they sit covered in leaves, laughing uncontrollably at the memory of their escape room experience. Xavier realizes that this bizarre moment is creating a meaningful shared memory that binds them, despite the impracticality of their relationship.

Samantha reflects on her day with Xavier, which included taking her nephews, Jeneva’s sons, to the zoo. They were thrilled by Xavier’s veterinary knowledge, and she observes his natural caretaking abilities, comparing him to a dad who anticipates everyone’s needs. After an eventful day and a lengthy dinner conversation, they return to the hotel near midnight, exhausted.

As they lie in bed talking, Samantha confronts the impossibility of their situation. Despite strong feelings, she explains that their relationship has no practical future—she cannot leave California while her mother needs her, and Xavier cannot abandon his veterinary practice and financial commitments in Minnesota. She points out that long-distance relationships typically have an endpoint when couples can reunite permanently, but for them, there is no endpoint in sight. She tells Xavier not to contact her again, believing a clean break will spare them greater pain later. With resignation, she drives him to the airport and kisses him goodbye.

Six weeks after returning from California, Xavier continues to adhere to Samantha’s request not to contact her but remains deeply affected by their separation. He isolates himself during lunch breaks at his clinic rather than socializing. Despite efforts not to, he checks Murkle’s Mustard’s Instagram for any connection to Samantha.

Xavier dismisses suggestions to date others, but his staff’s concern is evident when Maggie brings food and checks on his well-being. He contemplates the financial reality preventing relocation; he has $950,000 in business loans on a clinic worth no more than $700,000, meaning he would face crippling debt or bankruptcy if he tried to leave. Using Samantha’s riptide metaphor, he feels emotionally pulled out to sea, fighting the current and growing exhausted. Despite recognizing he should move forward, Xavier finds himself searching for veterinary conferences in Southern California, still seeking reasons to see her again.