| Director | Mark Pellington |
|---|
At a diner, middle-aged Daniel Kalman, an insurance agent, remarks on the beauty of sentimental jewelry worn by a waitress. He then visits Ronald Ashemore, an elderly architect living off a pension. His visit is for the purpose of evaluating Ashemore's possessions to satisfy granddaughter Bethany, and he's able to determine that a few pieces are worth enough value for an appraiser to look at.
Kalman's next visit is to Bethany and her husband. Pregnant, she is overwhelmed with being the sole decision-maker due to living the closest, but she does care deeply about her grandfather and does not wish to think of him dying. Back at the office Kalman studies the photographs he's taken that day, contemplating the lives lived.
The next day, his work takes him to meet Helen Greer, whose home has been destroyed by a fire of unknown origin. She laments how very little time she had to grab what keepsakes she could. She was able to save a signed baseball Kalman determines may have some value. They discuss things at a neighbor's house over coffee with another couple who've also lost their home. Kalman remarks how he always learns something new from listening to people's stories.
Helen stays with her son Henry and his wife Lisa. Discussion to place her in assisted living is met with indignity, as is the thought of selling her things for cash before the insurance kicks in.
Helen flies to Las Vegas with a case containing the baseball to meet with an appraiser. She settles in to her hotel room, takes in some gambling and dines solo. After much emotional turmoil, she meets Will Bleam to determine its worth. It is an authentic item, he says, and the signature is that of Ted Williams. Normally, most things he sees are worth $10–20,000 but he tells her this feels like it may be $80–100,000. Helen is amazed. After they converse awhile, Helen is finally able to let go of her husband's priceless keepsake. Later, Will gets a call from a potential buyer.
Will flies to his hometown in Virginia to meet older sister Donna. Will rides with Donna to their parents' house to go through things. The house is for sale and their parents have recently moved to a condo in Florida. Will is more matter-of-fact regarding the heirlooms that the quiet house holds, while Donna expresses her teen daughter Tallie's sadness over losing the one place that holds so many memories. Will stays overnight in the barren house, while Donna drives back to her own home.
The next day, Tallie joins them in sorting through keepsakes, a promise to her mother, but she is unable to connect with the many things that are older than she is and is distracted by texts from her friend, Kathleen. Donna reluctantly agrees to let her go and she leaves to Kathleen on a weekend trip. While disposing of many things into an onsite dumpster, Will comes across letters written by his own father, Will, to his mother, Joy, that expresses, among other things, deep love. Later he falls asleep to records playing soft jazz.
Will's sleep is interrupted by a frantic phone call from Donna. A drunk driver has hit the car the girls were driving in and killed Tallie and another girl, Marie. Donna's husband Patrick picks up Will, and they rush back to console a distraught Donna. Later, Kathleen's parents, Peter and Marge come to console them as well.
Patrick goes to Tallie's room to collect items for her memorial, but only finds a handful of childhood pictures and a trophy. He laments to Will that Tallie's cell phone and computer were destroyed in the crash and they are left with nothing to remember her by or even music to play at her service. Donna comes to her room that night and finds a few pictures and some of Tallie's writings in a composition book.
Will returns to his parents house and continues to sort through his parents' possessions. He shows up at Donna's the next day with a U-Haul of items from their house so Donna will not have to be burdened going through them. Before departing, he hands her a box he retrieved from the dumpster filled with his parents letters and photos.
At a local diner, Patrick and Donna are approached by a recovering Kathleen. She expresses survivors guilt but promises to keep Tallie and her parents in her thoughts. She hands them a key chain with Tallie's name on it, noting it was their ritual to exchange them. She mentions the word "saudade" which Tallie seemed to embrace (and is on a note in her room), "A strong longing for something that isn't the present."