Content Warning: This section references the death of a child, sexual assault, drug use, and mental health conditions.

Forty-five-year-old Grace Adams is stuck in gridlock traffic in London, England, on the hottest day of the summer. She recently began menopause and isn’t feeling well. She is supposed to pick up the cake she ordered for her daughter, Lotte Kerr’s, 16th birthday party at her estranged husband, Ben Kerr’s, house. She realizes that she is late and gets upset. The heat, the traffic, and her fellow drivers irk her. She cannot deal with the situation and abandons her car in the middle of the roadway.

Grace receives a letter from Lotte’s head teacher, John Power, addressing Lotte’s spotty attendance. Grace cannot make sense of the notification. Instead of working on her translation project, Grace confronts Lotte about school. Lotte is preoccupied with her laptop and demands to know what Grace wants. Grace struggles to recognize this version of her daughter.

Grace participates in a polyglot competition when she is 28 years old. She speaks five languages but feels insecure about participating in the event. She is heartened when an attractive male participant engages her in conversation.