When banker Ed Dean asks his wife Emily to join him on a business trip to St. Louis the next day, she declines, saying she has an appointment with her doctor because of a recurring pain in her side. Emily learns after the examination that she does not have long to live. Shaken by the news, Emily sits on a park bench and looks back on her life: As newlyweds, Emily and Ed are visited by their minister, Dr. Emory, who tells them they will need God in a partnership with them, and that they must share their life in order to keep their marriage strong. Emily and Ed become active in the church's Couples Club and do charity work in the poor section of town. Their first child, Dickie, is born, and as Ed's career with the bank advances, they join a country club instead of making their donation to the church. Ed and Emily have a second child, Jimmy, and move to a new house in a wealthier part of town. Emily joins the garden club, and when Dr. Emory asks her to chair a committee to help laid-off factory workers, she says she does not have the time. World War II begins and Dickie joins the Army, and when the family receives a telegram saying that Dickie is missing in action, Emily blames God. After the war ends, Emily suspects that she and Ed are drifting apart, but she refuses to believe it could be her fault. When Jimmy then moves out, Emily feels her life slipping away. One day, as she is complaining to Ed about an "undesirable" family that has moved into the neighborhood, Jimmy calls with the news that he has gotten married. An outraged Emily treats Jimmy's bride Irene with disdain and complains that she knows nothing of the girl's family, prompting Ed to berate his wife for her self-absorption. Emily informs the newlyweds that she expects them to live with her and Ed, but when she insults Irene, Jimmy decides that they will live in nearby Hilldale. Later, a young couple representing the Couples Club tries to get Emily and Ed involved again, but Emily demurs, and Ed, who is now president of the bank, accuses her of being a Christian only when it is convenient. In the park, back in the present, Emily watches the sunset and wishes she could find God again. At home, she cries in her bed and recites the Lord's Prayer. She wakes to find Ed sleeping, and is disconcerted when he says he is flying to St. Louis that afternoon. Emily realizes she has been dreaming, and that her medical appointment is for that afternoon. The doctor tells Emily she has nothing to worry about, and when Ed calls to learn the results of her examination, he again asks Emily to join him in St. Louis. After some initial hesitation, Emily agrees, suggesting that they stop to see Jimmy, Irene and their baby and return Sunday morning to go to church. After she hangs up, Emily gives thanks for her second chance.