Louise arrives to see her husband, Alan, telling him she got a call from NASA. He returns the call, then pretends to be sad before telling his wife he "got it."

Seven men are later introduced as the astronauts who will be the first in space. At a party, the men celebrate with their wives, and a reporter with Life Magazine is asked to get the wives to agree to be in the public spotlight.

When the women all meet, Louise argues with another one of the women about which husband will be the first one to go up into space. The reporter then approaches them, saying wives and children put a friendly face on things.

The women arrive to take a photo, and Rene shows up with a dress that doesn’t match the others. The women also all get a free car, as do the men.

Trudy arranges a surprise visit to try and catch the guys with other women. They find them all partying at the pool, and Louise spots her husband with another woman. She catches his attention then tells him she’s going to go unpack.

Trudy admits to two other women that she’s in the process of getting a divorce. She’s only back to help his career. Meanwhile, Louise confronts her husband and tells him not to humiliate her.

The ladies gather to watch an unmanned mission from the beach, and are devastated to see it explode in the air. It makes them worried about their husbands, but Louise tries to be the voice of reason.

Alan comes home to give his wife and kids the news that he’ll be the first man in space. Then he gets the news that a Russians got into space first.

The wives all arrive with food to visit Louise after her husband goes to launch. Louise sends them away, and watches in fear with the reporter. They all gather elsewhere with their children to watch the launch. Alan finally communicates and he’s okay.

Louise tells the reporter that Alan can never know she was scared. She then goes out with her children to see the press and make a comment. They meet the president, then Alan tells Louise they are going to try to put a man on the moon.

Louise visits Trudy and asks if her offer of human kindness still stands. Then the other women show up, and Betty gets the news that her husband is going up next.