White Palace

Two years after the car crash that killed his wife, Max Baron has shut himself off from the world. He remains a successful advertising executive but avoids forming close relationships. His grief haunts him and shapes his every choice.

On the way to his friend Neil's bachelor party, Max orders fifty burgers from the White Palace diner but learns the order is six short. He drives back to complain, triggering a tense confrontation with the restaurant staff and the waitress Nora Baker. The argument leaves him unsettled and more isolated.

After the diner incident, Max ends up at a bar where he runs into Nora. She flirts with him, but he drinks to drown his pain and pushes her away. They connect as she senses his deep grief, revealing a shared sense of loss.

Max gives Nora a ride home to the Dogtown neighborhood after their bar encounter. Drunk, he crashes his car into her mailbox along the way. Nora invites him to spend the night at her house, and the tension between them turns intimate.

Max wakes in Nora's house to find her performing fellatio after he dreams of his wife. The moment leads to a passionate night as they explore their attraction. It marks the beginning of a complicated connection between them.

On Janey's second anniversary, Max visits Janey's grave to pay his respects. He then returns to White Palace to watch Nora from a distance, realizing how her presence challenges his self-imposed barriers. The quiet, routine world he once clung to begins to feel hollow.

Max begins a relationship with Nora, sneaking it into his life as a secret. He frets about the secrecy and the risk of exposure to family and friends. Around work and social circles, he becomes more relaxed, even as his honesty remains limited.

Nora's sister Judy visits and explains their shared childhood abandonment and that Nora's son drowned. The revelation exposes Nora's fragile past and helps Max understand some of her defensiveness. Max realizes the depth of Nora's wounds and the difficulty of fitting their worlds together.

While shopping, Max encounters Rachel, Neil's wife, and they are invited to Thanksgiving. Max and Nora attend with Neil's family and the Horowitzes, where Nora feels increasingly out of place. After an argument between Nora and Neil's father, she walks out, leaving Max to confront the awkward family dynamics.

After Thanksgiving, Nora's house is empty and a note explains she has left. Max goes to White Palace to learn that Nora has quit her job, and he feels adrift again. He begins to realize the superficiality around him.

Max goes to brunch with friends and meets Heidi Solomon, who hints at the pretensions of their upper-middle-class world. Yet he cannot stop thinking about Nora and what they have shared. The encounter pushes him to reevaluate his values and his happiness.

Determined to find Nora, Max travels to New York and learns from Nora's sister Judy that Nora is waitressing in a restaurant. He leaves behind his old life to search for her. This journey marks a decisive break from his past.

Max finds Nora in a New York restaurant, confesses his love, and reveals he quit his job to be with her. He declares he will live in New York to be close to her. Nora responds with emotion, and their reunion feels earned and real.

They share a kiss as diners watch, and in a bold moment Max clears a table and lays Nora down on it. The restaurant cheers as they continue, signifying their public, unashamed commitment. It is a triumphant, unabashed finish that blends romance with a touch of fantasy.