Content Warning: The source material contains descriptions of drug use. In addition, the source material utilizes offensive stereotypes of Indigenous Americans. Characters are also frequently referred to by their ethnicity. These terms are replicated in the guide only in direct quotes from the source material.

Nordstrom, the protagonist, has started dancing alone in his house after dinner. He flashes back to how dancing first became part of his life. He had signed up for a modern dance class in college to fulfill a requirement. He is the only male in the class and spends the semester unable to dance due to embarrassment. He becomes infatuated with a girl in the class named Laura. For his final exam, the teacher blindfolds him and orders him to dance in response to Laura’s dance. Afterward, the teacher hugs him and gives him an A in the class. He sees Laura much later, and they begin dating and eventually marrying. They move from Wisconsin to California. Laura gets a movie industry job, and he gets a job in the oil industry. They have a daughter, Sonia, and are both successful in their careers.