A friendship is put to the ultimate test when two best friends wind up in bed together.

Jennifer and Ryan are students at UC Berkeley, acquaintances off and on since early adolescence. She's quick, witty, ironic, literary, and independent; he's deliberate, literal, serious, studying structural engineering, always working on a plan. They take walks, they console each other over break-ups, he shares his plans. She's headed for Italy after graduation. Then, to their equal surprise, they spend a night together. Her response is to skitter away from continued intimacy and want to stay friends; he's hurt by her response, so he withdraws. Can it all get sorted out before she leaves town?