Girls Night In

In a working-class Northern England town, Jackie Simpson and Dawn Wilkinson are lifelong best friends and sisters-in-law who work side-by-side in a factory. They sustain their bond with a weekly Friday girls' night, sharing jokes, worries, and support amidst ordinary hardship.

During a Friday bingo, Dawn wins a £100,000 jackpot and the sisters agree to split the money. Jackie eagerly begins planning their future, even handing over the house keys and leaving a note telling her husband Dave he can keep the house. The windfall foreshadows a complicated push-pull between loyalty, money, and freedom.

The very next day, Jackie clashes with her boss at the factory and is fired from her job. The sudden loss of work adds pressure to their already precarious lives and strains the plans tied to the winnings. The event reorients their priorities and sets Dawn on a difficult path.

Dawn suddenly collapses as she goes about her day, and she is rushed to the hospital. Tests reveal a recurrence of cancer she had years earlier, and doctors immediately propose radiation therapy as the next step. The diagnosis redefines her and Jackie’s plans and casts a shadow over the winnings.

Returning home, Dawn finds her teenagers roughhousing, and she breaks down in tears without explaining what’s wrong. The emotional strain of illness begins to press on her and her family, contrasting with the day-to-day life of the factory town. Her vulnerability hints at a deeper, impending tragedy.

At the bingo party to cash in the winnings, Dave presents a document releasing Dawn off the mortgage, and Jackie jokes about taking a trip to Las Vegas. Dawn’s hospitalization is referenced again, underscoring the fragility of their plans. The trip to Vegas becomes their escape hatch from looming illness.

On Monday, Dawn is kept off the normal production line and relegated to a simpler, more isolating task. Steve then hands Jackie a cheque for 35,000 pounds instead of 50,000, creating a bitter rift and showing how illness and money are reshaping their friendship. The tension pushes Jackie toward a desperate escape.

After a second course of radiation, Dawn experiences vomiting and hair loss, sending her further down the illness spiral. She openly states she will pack in at work, signaling a withdrawal from both her job and the fight for more time. The mood darkens as the effective options shrink.

Dawn refuses further treatment, wanting to live in the moment rather than fight the disease. Jackie persuades her to flee to Las Vegas for an adventure, seeking a last chance at happiness together. The trip becomes a beacon of hope amid the gloom.

In Las Vegas, Dawn immediately hits a slot machine jackpot, sparking excitement and disbelief. Cody lends her his cowboy hat as a playful symbol of luck, and she calls Steve to share the news. Cody invites them to spend a day exploring Nevada by horseback, deepening their escape from reality.

Dawn and Jackie go on a trail ride at Cody’s Nevada ranch, sharing a quiet moment of companionship. After a brief excursion, Dawn decides she wants to end the trip and return home, choosing reality over further escape. The trip leaves a mixed impression as illness continues to loom in the background.

Back home, Jackie nurses Dawn and later delivers a eulogy at Dawn’s funeral, marking the end of their shared journey. At the wake, the family discovers gifts under the bed and a final message from Dawn about Cody’s cowboy hat, prompting Jackie to return to Cody in Nevada. Dawn’s last wishes pull Jackie toward a new path tied to the desert escape they shared.