Allison becomes suddenly unable to understand spoken language, developing a friendship with a linguist along the way. The situation really tries Joe's patience, as he thinks about how many strange situations he's had to put up with during their marriage.

Allison's visions about the convicted sex offender new to her neighborhood have her questioning his guilt, even though her neighbors are furious about him moving in. Plus, Joe's potential career opportunity doesn't mesh with Allison's professional future.