Nora wakes in a plush London hotel with an itinerary naming her as an OBE guest speaker. Feeling extraordinarily fit, she confirms this life’s success online: multiple Olympic medals, a former world record, media work, charity swims, and a popular TED talk. Social searches show Izzy alive in Australia and Dan married elsewhere.

A call from Nadia leads to Nora speaking with her father—alive, sober, and healthier—who mentions life with Nadia and a dog, Sally. Wikipedia confirms her parents divorced after his affair; her mother died in 2011. Nora registers that pursuing swimming kept her father close but cost other paths.

Nora swims in the hotel pool, processing anger at her father’s affair and the conditional love she felt from both parents, while recognizing the sacrifices that built this life. The water calms her, but returning to her room underscores her loneliness and a ghostwritten autobiography.

In the lobby she meets a smiling, supportive Joe, along with Priya and Rory. They tour the large conference hall, settle on a headset mic, and field a question about multimedia that exposes Nora’s unfamiliarity. Her companions sense something is off as she tries to maintain composure before the event.