When Noah asks Allison for help with his research, a simple tour of Montauk turns more dangerous. 

Part 1 - Noah

Noah is swimming and when he goes back into the house, Bruce wants to chat. Bruce thinks Noah is swimming to avoid the page. He shares a lovely little tale about writing 10 pages before playing tennis and that lead to his best seller. Bruce is glad they talked.

Noah climbs into bed beside a sleeping Helen and decides to make love. He tells her not to wake up.

Grandma got Whitney an interview to be an au pair.

Noah made an appointment with Harry, Bruce's agent friend. Noah pitches his own story with Alison to Harry. The difference? He kills her in the end.

Noah heads to the Lobster Roll to see Alison. Instead he buys the kids four t-shirts and asks if there is a library in town. He wants to see if his book is there. It is, but nobody has checked it out. Alison finds him there and he wants to talk for a while. She's wearing a skirt, and that's where his eyes go. He gives her the 'I like you but I'm married" speech. He winds up asking where she's going and she takes him to see some fish. Scotty finds them at Will's. He's a bit of an ass.

They go to some shacks, talking about the town hall meeting and she kisses him. He doesn't want it and she leaves.

Helen asks how Whitney's first day was and she says the kids were brats and the father was a letch. Later Margaret suggests she always hoped Helen would marry someone other than an "idealist." Arguments ensue about idealism vs pragmatism and Noah heads off to the town hall meeting.

When he arrives at the firehouse, he sees the end of the meeting and Alison and Cole arm in arm. Alison kisses Cole goodbye. Oscar catches onto Noah's feelings for Alison.

Cole can't stop thinking about Alison. It's a problem. She tries to make him feel better by letting him know she's thinking about him, too.

When Noah wonders what he's going to do, Alison suggests they do it and get her out of his system. He pushes her away while kissing and then brings her back. She can't rush him. It has to be at his speed. He wants to be in control. They have relations, but not sex, I think.

Noah gets home and his family is watching Ferris Bueller.

Noah is talking to Jeffries again, chatting about Montauk being a former moonshine city to give the detective a little context about the generations of feuds. Especially between the Hodges and the Lockharts.

Part 2 - Alison

Alison is singing Dolly Parton and doing laundry as Cole walks up from the beach. He's complaining about the summer visitors building a giant eyesore across the street.

Alison is looking for a new job. Cole says he's enjoyed her being around and he's going to miss her. She can't keep working for Oscar, but will be back in time for the town hall.

Alison tells Jeffries at this point she had only kissed a stranger at the beach.

Alison arrives at a hospital. She is welcomed back by a lot of happy people. She used to work in pediatrics, but would like to be reassigned. She decides on the float pool even if it will include pediatrics. Alison sees a mother and her small child, obviously with cancer. The child throws up in its mothers hands. Alison starts to panic. The doctor gives her her card and Alison uses the opportunity to steal some drugs and then returns the card and leaves without finishing the interview.

Alison is talking to Jeffries and asks about secrets. Hers is that she is a cutter.

Oscar tells Alison someone was looking for her at the shop. He put a note on the board. It says "I need your help" with his phone number.

Oscar wants to build a bowling alley in the plot next store. He then goes on to sexually harass her. Kindly, however, he lets her go since she's having a bad day. He asks her to have his back at the town hall because people need to change to survive.

Alison finds Noah at the library. He tells her about the book. The female character is a blonde with bigger breasts. They kiss. She shows him a book with a photo of her grandfather. Her grandfather raised her. He was a storyteller and you couldn't always decide if he was telling the truth.

Alison walks Noah to the docks. If he's going to write about a fisherman, he should spend as much time there as possible. They talk about the reality of Montauk life versus the fantasy. Then they start kissing by a building. She pushes him away when someone comes by. She can't do this because he can leave whenever he wants, but she can't. This is her home. Something about her drives him fucking insane, he says. From now on, it's just a professional relationship. But if her hand happens to find its way into his pants, he will remove it promptly. He says to try it to see what happens if he doesn't believe her.

Goodbye friend. Thanks for the tour. This time, she tells him there is a town board meeting if he wants to get a feel for the local politics. She tells him her husband will be there.

At the town hall meeting, Oscar gives his speech and provides the financial support that will benefit the town. He initially gets support. Until Cole stands up. He remembers how it used to be, and how summer folks used to have a respect for the year-round residents and both sets desired peace and tranquility. Now he doesn't know what it's all about anymore because people think it's the Hamptons because of places like Oscar is proposing. Progress vs Greed is what Cole comes up with. Alison is angry with Cole for using their son's memory. Cole is shocked that she thinks that way.

A fight breaks out between Oscar and the Lockharts and Alison is telling Jeffries that Oscar was invited to the wedding because people show up. They love and they fight and they argue but when it comes down to it, they're a town and they're there for each other.

Alison gets a text from Noah. He's sorry he missed the meeting. Suddenly Alison is waking Cole for sex. Don't wake up, she tells him.