Just You and Me, Kid

Bill exits the grocery store and opens the trunk of his Pierce Arrow, where he is startled to find Kate inside. He and the bag boy react with disbelief, and Bill quickly calms him by suggesting it might be an illusion. He drives away with Kate, trying to keep both of them safe.

Kate asks Bill to take her to his house and offers little information about her situation. He reluctantly agrees and lends her some of his clothes while she stays hidden from his nosy neighbors. She attempts to escape later, injuring her ankle in the process, which draws attention from the neighborhood.

Bill visits his old vaudeville partner Max at the nursing home and cheerfully recounts his daily activities. Max is despondent and non-verbal, but Bill keeps visiting, hoping to cheer him up. He mentions Kate to Max in a way that contrasts their quiet life with the stranger in his door.

Bill's daughter Shirl and her husband Harris confront him, accusing him of senility and seeking control of his bank account through power of attorney. Bill refuses to cede control, which makes Shirl furious and heightens the family tension. The scene underscores the fragility of Bill's independence.

Demesta remains furious and begins to intimidate Kate's friend Roy as part of his search for Kate. He makes it clear that he will stop at nothing to recover what he believes is owed to him. The threat adds a looming danger to Kate's already precarious situation.

Stan and Sue begin to meddle, calling Shirl about Kate and stirring up more trouble for Bill. Shirl's involvement escalates as she tries to assert control over the situation and pressure Bill further. The neighborhood noise increases the tension around Kate's presence in Bill's home.

Kate finally tells Bill that she is fleeing from a drug dealer and explains the money she carried. He advises her to go to the police, but she fears the consequences. The confession deepens Bill's sense of responsibility and complicates his view of what to do next.

That evening, Bill introduces Kate to his poker buddies, briefly normalizing a strange new arrangement. The visit is interrupted when Shirl returns with two police officers, forcing Kate to hide and heightening the household's scrutiny. The confrontation highlights the clash between Bill's gentleness and the family’s concern for legality.

The next day, Kate recounts a memory of a boy who began talking when others ignored him, using it to illustrate her own sense of invisibility. Bill uses a moment with Max to insist that someone must start talking for help to come. The exchange deepens the emotional distance between Bill’s loyalty to Max and his commitment to Kate.

Bill returns from visiting Max to find Kate gone and becomes despondent, worried about her safety. He had promised Max he would stay, but Kate's absence creates a new ache in his attempt to keep his life in order. Max then shows renewed vulnerability, reinforcing the need for someone to care for both of them.

Kate goes back to her foster home, gathers her belongings, and meets Roy at school, revealing that she still has the money. Roy warns her that Demesta will kill her, underscoring the danger surrounding her past. She contemplates leaving town with the money to escape her pursuer.

Demesta forces his way into Bill's house, leading to a tense chase. Bill holds Demesta at bay with a sword, and the confrontation ends with the police arriving and Demesta being arrested. The moment marks a dramatic turning point in protecting Kate and Bill's home.

Max packs his belongings, preparing to return home with Bill. Shirl and Harris agree to act as Kate's foster parents, but the plan is that Kate will stay with Bill and Max on weekends. The film ends with the three heading away together, choosing companionship over isolation.