Cassie and Julia meet as college freshmen in September, 1960. An attraction of opposites forges a strong friendship between tradition-loving Cassie and independent, often impulsive Julia. When Julia drops out and moves to New York with her lover, Cassie reaches out to an old beau, abandons her plan to follow Julia to Manhattan, and chooses instead the shelter of marriage. For ten years Cassie and Julia struggle to respect each other's choices and sustain their friendship. While theirs is not the 60s of LSD and SDS, conflicts simmer below the tranquil surface of brief winter dinners and long summer days on Cape Cod. Julia embraces new freedoms, yet succumbs to traditional pressures to have a child. Cassie appears to have the life of her dreams, until one compelling dream forces her to wake up and listen-to Julia and to herself.