At a summer house in Vermont during the last week of August, Lane Gibson and some of her friends gather. Lane has been living at the cottage for the past eight months, since her failed suicide attempt following the break-up of her affair with a married man. Lane’s friend, Stephanie, has been staying with her for the summer, needing some time away from her radiologist husband. Lane’s brassy mother, Diane Frasier, an acclaimed actress, is also visiting for the week, along with her husband, Lloyd, a physicist. Joining them this evening are neighbors Peter, an advertising executive who is taking the summer off to write a novel about his father, and Howard, a professor of French at a nearby university. Howard has fallen in love with Lane since she came to the cottage to recover, but Lane has fallen in love with Peter. Lane and Peter slept together once earlier in the summer, but Peter now only has eyes for Stephanie. Lane’s mother, Diane Frasier, has led an exciting life, but also has a checkered past, having left Lane’s father for a gangster who was physically abusive. As a fourteen-year-old, Lane shot and killed the gangster. Police never prosecuted her for the crime, but the incident scarred her. Diane invites Peter to write her biography, but Lane discourages the idea. Lane has been reading chapters of Peter’s novel and encourages him to continue with it. However, Peter believes Diane’s story of survival would be much more compelling. Lane reports she has gotten an offer to sell the house, which would provide enough money for her to put a down payment on an apartment in New York City, where she hopes to revive her photography career. Howard offers to lend her money for an apartment so she won’t have to sell the cottage, but Lane cannot accept. During a thunderstorm, the electricity goes out, so they use candles to light the house while Stephanie plays piano. Howard gets drunk enough to find the courage to confess his love to Lane, who rejects him. Lane questions Peter, asking if she misread the romantic signals between them. Peter advises her to get on with her life as he is not in a position to get involved with anyone. When Peter gets Stephanie alone, he caresses her face and confesses his love for her. Stephanie reminds Peter that she has a husband and children, but Peter points out that she has been flirting with him since she arrived. When the power comes back on, Stephanie’s husband telephones and the two get into an argument. Afterward, Stephanie follows Peter to his cottage. The next morning, the realtor shows Mr. and Mrs. Raines around. They love the house and make a $175,000 offer, which is lower than the $200,000 asking price. Lane says she ran up a lot of debt while she was recovering, and needs the money. Peter comes to the house and invites Stephanie to go to Paris with him. As they kiss passionately, Lane walks in on them, but they are initially oblivious to her. Lane is devastated and Stephanie tries to apologize. Diane Frasier comes downstairs, announcing that she and Lloyd love Vermont and have decided to live in the house full time. Lane tells her mother she is about to sell the house, but Diane says the house still belongs to her and tells the realtor it is not for sale. She and Lane’s father bought the house before Lane was born, and it is the closest thing to roots that she has. As Lane cries, Diane says she should not blame her, if her life did not turn out the way she wanted it to. Lane exclaims, “You’re the one who pulled the trigger. I only said what the lawyers told me to say,” referring to the shooting of Diane’s gangster boyfriend. Diane says that Lane is being spiteful, but adds that she would have done things differently if she could. Lane goes to her bedroom, devastated. Stephanie apologizes for what happened with Peter, and confesses that she flirted with him because he seemed like a challenge, and she needed to know if she could still be wanted. Lane vaguely talks of suicide again. Stephanie demands to know where the sleeping pills are, telling Lane that she has a lot to live for, and that if she really wanted to die, she would have done it right the first time. Diane apologizes to her daughter and declares that the house is hers. Diane and Lloyd pack up and leave for Palm Beach, Florida. Howard tells Lane that she has come to mean so much to him, but he knows that when she leaves the cottage, they will not see each other again. Peter decides to return to New York City, telling Stephanie that he feels empty knowing they cannot be together. Stephanie says he will forget about her in time. Peter thanks Lane for the encouragement and faith she had in him. She cries as he walks out the door. Stephanie plans to stay with Lane for a few more days, then return home to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to help her children start the new school year. In the meantime, she reminds Lane to keep busy, as she must prepare the house for sale before moving back to New York City.