Our Souls at Night

Set in Holt, a fictional small Colorado town, Louis Waters and Addie Moore are longtime neighbors who have spent decades beside each other yet barely truly know one another. One evening, Addie visits Louis and suggests they spend their nights together—not out of romance, but to counter their loneliness and help them sleep. Louis, initially surprised, asks for time to think. A short while later, after he starts meeting with other like‑minded men who gossip about town affairs, he picks up the phone and calls Addie to say yes. They begin spending evenings and nights at Addie’s house, navigating a new, delicate arrangement with a quiet resolve.

As they grow closer, Addie proposes they leave a few things at her place—pajamas and little comforts—so the arrangement begins to feel more real. She also urges Louis to come to the front door when he visits, a small ritual that others in the neighborhood notice and talk about. Louis worries about the gossip, but Addie insists she doesn’t fret over what people say, choosing honesty over rumor.

Louis’s daughter Holly calls the house, a reminder of the wider world outside their private agreement. He explains that he sometimes jokes about not being able to hear well to dodge questions about his sleep, a touch of humor in a complicated situation. The next time Louis visits, Addie asks him to enter through the front door, making their private life a little more visible to the town, and she brings up a past affair that people in town already know about. Louis recounts that, during a rough chapter in his marriage, he left his wife Diane and their daughter Holly to be with a teacher named Tamara, but he eventually changed his mind and returned home.

When rumors reach Louis’s circle of friends and Addie’s friend Ruth, they decide to face the situation head‑on. The two women and their respective circles head downtown for lunch, and while they are initially met with curious glances, they gradually blend in with the townspeople, finding a steadying sense of belonging in their choice.

At the start of summer, Addie’s life broadens to include her son Gene and his son Jamie, who stays with her while Gene’s marriage unravels. Jamie becomes a regular presence, and Louis and Addie grow closer through shared routines, even adopting a dog to keep the boy company. After Ruth passes away, Addie and Louis take Jamie camping in the mountains, where Louis teaches the boy to throw a ball and they roast marshmallows under the stars.

Back in town, Gene confronts Addie about the relationship, disapproving because he knows about Louis’s past. Addie stands firm, insisting that family must come first and that she will not break things off. Louis wonders aloud about a future together and even suggests they might spend a night in a Denver hotel to be alone, but life keeps pulling them back to their ordinary realities. They share a dinner and a dance, a tender moment that deepens their bond while reminding them of the boundaries they’ve chosen.

Meanwhile, Holly announces an upcoming trip to Italy, and Addie suffers a fall that leads to hospitalization. Gene pushes again for Addie to move in with him and Jamie, but she resists until a late-night distress call from Jamie changes everything. When Louis and Addie arrive at Gene’s house, they find Jamie alone, and later Gene returns home drunk and confesses that he has long believed his mother blamed him for his sister Connie’s death. Addie decides that family must come first, so she agrees to move in with Gene and Jamie, marking the end of their daily closeness as a couple. They share a final night together, after which they resume sleeping apart, returning to their roles as two neighbors who care for one another in quieter, more complicated ways.

Louis sends an electric train set to Jamie and a cell phone for Addie, small but meaningful gestures that reflect a steady, practical care for each other. After getting into bed, she calls him, and the two old friends return to their late‑night conversations, now tempered by experience and the choices they’ve made about love, family, and friendship.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:59