In late 2019, Desiree reflects on January’s wedding earlier that year, remembering how exhausted January appeared. She suspects January was already pregnant with her second child. Six weeks after Brook Bali Starling’s birth on October 12, Desiree grows concerned by January’s lack of communication and flies to Los Angeles. She drives east through the warehouse-dominated landscape of the Inland Empire to January’s subdivision.

Inside the cold, dark house, January is suffering from severe nausea while breastfeeding Brook. She is surprised to see Desiree, confusing her with the DHL representative meant to deliver her formula. When Desiree asks her about a cryptic text she sent saying “two things can be true at the same time” (174), January explains: She loves her children but wants an escape. She then changes the subject, asking Desiree to examine a physical problem. In the bathroom, Desiree sees what appears to be a pelvic organ prolapse. Horrified, January declares they must leave immediately.

The friends drive west with Brook, stopping at a burger joint in Pomona. January explains her unhappiness with Morris, describing a feeling of being both necessary and always outside her own family. An unhoused man named Van approaches, calls Brook lucky, and makes unsettling comments about breastfeeding and the word verbatim before Desiree buys him food.

In the car, January asks Desiree why she lied to Van about not having cash. Tensions escalate when January then accuses Desiree of living in a holding pattern, refusing to renovate her apartment or commit to her partner, Jelani. Desiree defends herself by articulating her personal vision of happiness as a many-roomed home where contentment comes from being still and minding her own business. She does not need a legacy or children; she wants her small, manageable life. January reveals she knows about Desiree’s past relationship with Chika,, but Desiree is unwilling to discuss it. Desiree then reveals she researched January’s condition—a prolapse, likely bladder or rectal—but did not mention it earlier because she feared January wouldn’t have left the house.

The friends head to Nakia’s home in Inglewood. On the drive, January sleeps while Desiree reflects on Van’s comments about the word verbatim and decides to ask her current boyfriend Jelani to move in with her. They arrive at Nakia’s, where the three friends reunite. Nakia teases them about kidnapping, and they discuss the ethics of giving money to the unhoused. Feeling the prolapse when she crosses her legs, January solidifies her decision to leave Morris.

On September 9, 2023, Monique publishes a blog post announcing the death of her father, Dennis LaMorne Jr., who died at age 68 in Barbados during his longest visit to his birthplace since adolescence. She describes being unprepared for the intensity of her grief and experiencing what she calls grief paralysis—a daily exhaustion that left her unable to complete basic tasks. Her friends showed up to support her; Desiree and Nakia were there to be with her and January sent videos of her sons.

Monique reflects on her past failures to reciprocate such care during others’ difficult moments; she attributes this habit to her self-described “Scared and Stingy years” when she prioritized professional opportunities over relationships (200). She acknowledges that hard times arrive without warning—divorces, illnesses, deaths—and it is essential to show up for loved ones regardless of one’s own circumstances. She distinguishes between a supportive “fallback culture,” where friends set aside grievances when someone is in distress, and a harmful ghosting culture, where people retreat under the guise of giving space. Monique reveals she has apologized to two people for past poor treatment; one responded, the other did not. She concludes that time may be the only resolution for fractured friendships.

On September 19, 2025, Monique posts a poem titled “Too Soon (for everyone).” The poem expresses her feeling that middle age has become a succession of years marked by loved ones dying from plagues, violence, uncontrollable growths, or self-ending sadness. Each death is untimely, making her mark time differently. She wonders who will be added next to this list of names stamped in earth. The poem concludes with the image of life as a series of small hillocks plotted ahead, each one a test she prays not to die climbing.

In June 2024, Nakia and January take an early architectural boat tour on the Chicago River while awaiting Monique and Desiree’s arrival from New York. Nakia is a finalist for the prestigious Best Chef: California award, and the four friends have made a weekend trip of the occasion. January recalls taking the same tour with Morris in 2009 during an Obama-inspired pilgrimage. On the flight, Desiree and Monique sit in first class; Desiree notices Monique’s fresh memorial tattoo for her father.

At their shared hotel room, Monique insists on previewing Nakia’s outfits for the weekend events. The friends tease Monique by dancing and singing a playful riff on the song “Le Freak” featuring her name. While getting ice, Monique encounters Niles Dickerson, a food media personality. They recognize each other from social media and engage in conversation.

At an evening mixer for award nominees that night, January enjoys networking while Nakia talks with Donnie Gleeson, an acquaintance from her restaurant management program days. Monique asks January about her sex life; January admits she hasn’t slept with anyone in four years, given her separation from Morris and pregnancy recovery. Monique hints she might end her own 10-month celibacy streak before walking off to find Niles. Donnie tells Nakia he knows one of the judges and implies she will not win because the industry’s interest in diversity has faded. The news intensifies Nakia’s anxiety.

Monique persuades the friends to join her and Niles on a party bus chartered by a famous older Chicago chef. On the bus, Niles offers Monique a research position for a project on Black restaurant menus, potentially leading to a book or TV show. Initially, the bus holds only the four friends and Niles, but when it picks up three male chefs and eight younger women, the gender dynamics become uncomfortable. Nakia retreats into herself. The friends decide to leave the bus and walk back to their hotel at midnight. Monique offers a genuine apology for derailing their dinner plans, which Nakia accepts. After January asks for a piggyback ride, Monique crouches down to offer one despite complaining about her bad knees.

In November 2027, Danielle Joyner Johnson travels from Washington, DC, to New York City to meet her estranged father, Terry Joyner. She has not seen him since she was 14. She now lives in DC with her husband, Warren, and their twin daughters, Nina and Naima. Her decision to contact Terry stems from a desire to reclaim a piece of her history, though she keeps the pettier motivation to herself.

A flashback to 2013 reveals that Danielle discovered Desiree’s affair with Chika. She had sent Chika a T-shirt hoping he would reconnect with her; instead, he returned it with her own note. The shirt’s scent makes her realize that Chika had been with Desiree. Devastated, Danielle tried calling Nakia to complain, but Nakia hung up on her, saying Danielle should only call if she was ready to approach Desiree respectfully. Another flashback to 2019 shows a pregnant Danielle calling Nakia to suggest Desiree was in unrequited love with her; Nakia insisted that Desiree’s only unrequited relationship was with Danielle herself.

On her way to meet Terry, Danielle recalls the time she witnessed Terry shove her mother, Sherelle, across their green kitchen, his face contorted with hatred. For years, Terry’s hateful expression in this memory convinced her never to seek him out. She also recalls her grandfather Nolan’s cruelty toward her as a teenager, comparing her to Sherelle when she asked for money and making her feel like a burden. Sherelle’s death left Danielle feeling exposed and lost.

Danielle’s meeting with Terry in Central Park goes poorly. They share a striking physical resemblance, but Terry immediately blames Sherelle for keeping him from Danielle and Desiree. He reveals that he has three other children and three grandchildren. When Danielle accuses him of abandoning them for his new family, Terry claims he paid child support through her grandfather, Nolan, which is news to Danielle. She becomes upset and ends the meeting abruptly. Terry asks for Desiree’s contact information, but Danielle says she does not have it because they do not speak.

Danielle eats sushi alone before her train ride home. She realizes her lifelong sense of loss has always been about Sherelle, not Terry. On the train, she decides she is finally ready to reconnect with Desiree and calls Nakia’s phone to ask for her number. A distraught woman named Jay answers, identifying herself as Nakia’s partner. She asks desperately for Desiree’s whereabouts, saying they have been trying to reach her. A shriek-like sound echoes in the background. Jay’s distress makes Danielle realize that something is terribly wrong. Danielle arrives home in DC and tells Warren that Nakia is dead.