The Arrangement

Peter arrives home after his date with Mallory feeling disheveled and guilty. Finding Ainsley and Glennon in the living room, he offers an awkward greeting when Ainsley, tipsy, asks if he had fun. He retreats to the shower, where he reflects on his pattern of serial infidelity and the associated guilt, noting that even with permission through their arrangement, he still feels just as guilty as he did in the past. After vigorously showering, Peter examines signs of aging in the mirror before joining Ainsley in their bedroom.

In the bedroom, Ainsley, very intoxicated, calls Peter sexy and initiates a passionate kiss. She removes her hot pink robe, revealing that she is naked, and they engage in passionate sex, reconnecting intimately for the first time in years. Peter feels unusually free of worry during this encounter and wonders if Ainsley’s plan to improve their marriage is working.

The next morning, Ainsley and Peter experience awkwardness but positive feelings, avoiding discussion of their intimate night. After dropping their children off at school, Ainsley drives to work. She receives two insistent messages from Stefan on the Dater app and ponders how to deter Stefan’s interest. She also needs to find a new date for next Tuesday.

At the bank, Ainsley waits in her car until she sees the all-clear security signal from her coworker Brenda, who unlocks the bank. In her office, she reads Stefan’s messages. Rereading his second message, she freezes in shock, realizing that Stefan called her Ainsley—he knows her real name despite her using a pseudonym on the app.

While Peter is on a call with a contractor, Gina enters his office. After the call ends, Gina flirts with Peter, asking why he hasn’t texted her after they matched on the dating app. When Peter explains that he seeks something casual, Gina insists that she can handle casual and persuades him to agree to one date.

Gina insists on having their date that night, despite the fact that Friday nights are family time under Peter’s arrangement with Ainsley. Peter impulsively agrees to the date, knowing that he is violating their family-night plans and making the wrong choice.

During work hours, Ainsley receives a text from Peter claiming that he has to work late and canceling family night. Disappointed, she replies with a simple acknowledgment. She reflects on her feelings of powerlessness and how, in the past, she dealt with them through unhealthy coping mechanisms including disordered eating and self-harm like purging, cutting, and over-exercising.

Ainsley receives another message from Stefan saying that they need to talk. She opens the app and blocks Stefan. Though she resolves to move on and hopes that blocking him is sufficient, she worries that this action might not be enough to end his pursuit.

During dinner with Gina, Peter receives a panicked call from Ainsley: Stefan is at their house and won’t leave. He knows her real name and address. Peter immediately leaves Gina and rushes home, talking to Ainsley on the phone as he drives. They agree to end their arrangement as Peter arrives home and sees Stefan’s truck in the driveway.

Ainsley, still on the phone, reminds Peter of the metal baseball bat that he keeps in his car trunk. He retrieves it and confronts Stefan, who is on the porch. Stefan demands to see Ainsley and reveals a gun. 

When Ainsley opens the door screaming, Stefan lunges for her. Peter hits Stefan with the bat three times, killing him. Peter searches Stefan’s pockets and finds handcuffs and a police badge identifying him as a police officer. He insists that they cannot call the police and must hide the body. Ainsley reluctantly agrees.

Peter and Ainsley remove the lattice at the base of their porch. Peter crawls underneath and begins digging, planning to bury Stefan’s body, wallet, and gun there. Ainsley drives Stefan’s truck to the airport parking lot, wipes her fingerprints, and leaves his wiped phone in it. Peter picks her up, and they return home. Peter cleans blood from the porch with bleach while Ainsley scrubs blood from her fingernails and washes their bloody clothes with extra bleach.

After meditating to regain composure, Ainsley faces their son Dylan, who returns home and notices the displaced porch lattice, the bleach smell, and her distress. She lies and says that she had a stomach bug, and Peter appears acting cheerfully normal. Dylan’s suspicions temporarily subside, and he goes to his bedroom. Ainsley tells Peter to fix the lattice while she showers.

Unable to sleep due to guilt and fear, Peter and Ainsley discuss their next steps. They plan for Ainsley to dispose of the baseball bat in a dumpster and discuss whether they should move the body—Peter is worried that it will begin to smell under the porch. Peter worries that the police will trace Ainsley’s connection to Stefan through the app, but she reassures him, citing the Dater app’s privacy guarantees.

They speculate that Stefan used police resources to find Ainsley’s real identity and address. Ainsley feels responsible since she came up with the arrangement, but Peter insists that Stefan was a dangerous stalker. They agree to keep but not use the Dater app, effectively ending their arrangement. Ainsley expresses regret about the situation, and Peter apologizes while silently vowing to be a better husband, although he hides his date with Gina. They exchange “I love yous” before attempting to sleep.

On Saturday morning, Ainsley drives to work, growing paranoid each time she sees a police car. She stops at a downtown alley and disposes of the bleached baseball bat in a dumpster. 

Glennon calls, wanting to meet for coffee after Ainsley gets off work. Ainsley lies to Glennon, saying that she can’t because they are having family photos taken. She notices that Glennon sounds strange and feels their friendship growing strained. Upon arriving at work, she discovers two police cars with flashing lights parked by the entrance, filling her with dread about the possible discovery of their crime.