Alison works for a Philadelphia paper, writing a relationship advice column even though she has had one previous lover and is not at all experienced in love and romance. At first she is heartbroken, but after a while she uses her newfound, single life to gossip with friends, and engage in a series of relationship adventures, all while hoping Tom will come back to her. She jumps at the opportunity when her boss, Henry, expresses romantic interest in her which creates an exciting, romance-filled adventure. The narrator accurately expresses Alison’s restlessness and the thoughtful manner in which Alison muses on everything from her Evangelical Christian upbringing to men’s behavior all while maintaining the intended introspective and smart tone.