In 1985, town planning student Richard Gillespie visits his older sister Natalie, whom he is not very close to since they grew up separately. Natalie has recently split with her boyfriend and is unhappy with her job. At Richard's insistence, they go for a late-night walk and Natalie seems to cheer up. Richard stays over, and on waking in the middle of the night, he finds Natalie still awake and still extremely depressed. Richard's attempts to lighten the mood are ended when Natalie pulls him into an unexpectedly passionate embrace, kissing him on the lips. She immediately apologises, making the excuse that she just wanted someone to hug. Richard seems stunned, but not disturbed.