That Night

In 1961 on Long Island, 10-year-old Alice Bloom fixates on her older neighbor Sheryl O'Connor and begins watching her every move. She copies Sheryl's habits—from perfumes to records—fascinated by the warmth Sheryl receives from her father, a warmth Alice longs for at home.

Alice's friends mock her at the bowling alley, and Sheryl arrives with a group of guys trying to win her affection. Sheryl meets Rick, the counter boy who will become central to her attention. The moment hints at a growing tension between Sheryl's life and Alice's gaze.

While Rick engages Sheryl, they share their first kiss, an intimate moment that Alice witnesses with a mix of awe and heartbreak. The attraction deepens and sets the stage for a forbidden connection. Place: Outside the bowling alley. Time: That evening, 1961.

A page at the desk, a phone call, and devastating news confirm Sheryl's father has died. The family mourns as Sheryl grapples with loss and the sudden upheaval in her world. Place: Funeral home / church, Long Island. Time: Funeral day.

At the funeral, Sheryl is visibly upset, and later that evening she returns her bowling shoes to the alley and breaks down over her father's death. The emotion binds Sheryl and Rick in a fragile comfort. Place: Bowling alley. Time: That evening, same day as funeral.

Rick escorts Sheryl to the beach, where they share oysters and tequila and Sheryl pours out her heart about her father's passing. They spend the entire day and night together, growing closer in a fragile bond. Place: The beach. Time: The next day after the funeral.

Sheryl's mother forbids her from seeing Rick, and the neighborhood begins to gossip about the pair. The pressure escalates as Sheryl resists her mother's warnings and clings to her relationship with Rick. Place: Long Island neighborhood. Time: Shortly after the beach day.

A bond forms as Sheryl babysits Alice and offers hard-earned wisdom about boys. Alice volunteers to help Sheryl sneak out to see Rick. Together, they roam seedy places—dive bars and under the boardwalk—as Alice records a booth-record detailing the night.

Alice's father warns her to stay away from Rick as tensions rise around Sheryl's secret. Soon, Sheryl discovers she is pregnant, and her mother sends her to an unwed mothers’ home hundreds of miles away. Place: Alice's home; unwed mothers' home. Time: Weeks after the earlier events.

Rick and his gang drive to Sheryl's house to plead with her, sparking a crowd and a fierce confrontation. They clash with neighborhood men, and Rick spends a week in jail as a fallout from the incident. Place: Sheryl's home, Long Island. Time: Following the confrontation day.

After the jail, Rick finds Alice beneath the boardwalk and they plan to drive upstate to find Sheryl. A glimmer of hope returns as they prepare for a possible reunion. Place: Boardwalk; upstate. Time: After imprisonment.

Sheryl agrees to sneak out at midnight to meet Rick, and the two reunite, with Rick offering an engagement ring as a symbol of possible futures. Place: Near the unwed mothers' home. Time: Midnight, shortly after the jailbreak.

Sheryl admits that Alice is still young and may not understand, but she cannot leave her family behind. The plan to run away persists in Alice's mind, even as Sheryl decides against leaving. Place: Upstate and Long Island. Time: Just before departure.

As Sheryl's bus departs for Long Island, she and Rick share a final, quiet moment of embrace. Alice watches, heart aching, as a friendship and love she cannot fully possess slips away. Place: Bus stop near unwed mothers' home. Time: Departure time just before midnight.

Back home with her parents, Alice learns from a postcard that Sheryl and Rick are thriving on the West Coast. The film closes on a bittersweet note, with Alice holding onto memories while planning her own future. Place: Long Island; West Coast. Time: After departure.