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Esther is an intern at a magazine in New York City
With a fellow intern, Doreen, Esther ditches a magazine event in order to hang out with Lenny Shepard. As Doreen hooks up with Lenny, Esther heads back to their hotel and takes a long bath. -
She goes on a date with Constantin
An interpreter at the UN whom she met through Mrs. Willard, her boyfriend Buddy's mother. Esther thinks over how her feelings for Buddy have changed over their history together. -
Esther thinks back to her feelings for Buddy
She had started dating Buddy in college. At first, she admired him despite his disparaging attitude toward her literary aspirations. She quickly lost her admiration for him when she found out about his affair with a waitress over the past summer. -
Esther thinks back to how she broke her leg
She had visited Buddy at a sanatorium, after rejecting his proposal of marriage, she and Buddy had gone to a ski slope, where Buddy attempted to teach her to ski. Esther accelerated down a hill and broke her leg in two places. -
The last day of her internship
a photographer attempts to take Esther's portrait, but she breaks down in tears. Later, Esther attends a country club dance with Doreen, where she's attacked by her date, Marco. -
Esther takes a train back home to Boston
Her mother picks her up at the train station and announces that Esther hasn't made it into a summer writing program. Over the next couple of weeks, Esther quickly spirals downward into a deep depression. -
she is referred to a psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon
After a couple of visits, Dr. Gordon subjects Esther to electroshock therapy, which only worsens Esther's condition. -
Esther takes a few practice runs at suicide
She practices with a blade in front of her bathroom mirror. She visits her old hometown by the shore and contemplates drowning herself. She tries strangling herself at home but fails. She's invited to the beach by some friends, and swims out, but is unable to drown herself. -
Esther is moved to a private psychiatric institution
She meets the sympathetic Dr. Nolan. Later, Esther is joined by Joan, an old high school friend who was inspired by the press coverage of Esther's attempted suicide to attempt suicide herself. -
Esther's condition improves
with insulin shock therapy, and she's moved to a different residence within the institution. -
Esther discovers that DeeDee and Joan are having an affair
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Esther meets a Harvard professor
She decides to lose her virginity to him. After they have sex, Esther starts to bleed profusely. Her friend Joan helps her to the emergency room, where Esther recovers. -
Esther's told that Joan has committed suicide.
It is now January where Buddy visits Esther at the institution, and she attends Joan's funeral. The novel ends as Esther enters her exit interview at the institution.
