Benny and Mary meet at a legal conference. Neither remembers the exact moment, but given what we know about them, it was probably at the coffee station trying to stay awake. They see each other at daily Mass, and one Saturday they pray a rosary together with some compatriots.

Mary and Benny are assigned seats next to each other for the last half of the first leg of the conference. Despite rumors that the seats were arranged to set people up, they persist in strictly professional conversation about the weather, the conference, and how little sleep they are getting.

After a summer apart, Mary and Benny reunite in Leesburg for the last leg of the conference, once more assigned seats next to each other. They discuss professional legal topics like the Albigensians and the Utraquists. Benny tries to show her his notepad doodles, which succeed only in confusing Mary. Nonetheless, Mary asks for Benny's number the night before they leave (she for Vanderbilt Law in Nashville, he for Harvard Law in Cambridge).

Seeing that our intrepid duo needed a little push, two of their friends (now a groomsman and bridesmaid) decided to set them up. Mary's friend Cana Cossin suggests Benny to Mary, who replies that she "wouldn't be inherently opposed." Cana's boyfriend and Benny's (regular) friend, Nick Nelson, proceeds to tell Benny that Mary "ask[ed]" what he "thinks of [her]." Department of Commerce v. New York is completely ignored.

At 9:52 P.M., Mary posts this "Story" to "Instagram." Her goal? Entrap Benny into replying. At 10:28 P.M., he "slides into her Direct Messaging inbox," writing: "Have you guys already started up again? That's rough." He's quite the smooth operator. The next day, he asks for her number, completely forgetting that the two exchanged numbers weeks ago.

After a couple days exchanging SMS text messages, Benny contrives an excuse to call by claiming he "ha[d] no idea" what to write for their conference follow-up essays. His statement was true, but only because he deliberately avoided reading the prompts so that he could ask for her "help." In a matter of days, the two were staying awake into the wee hours of the night (and early morning) talking on the telephone and the Apple videoconferencing application "FaceTime." Finally, on August 30, Benny declares on the phone that "either we are wasting our time or we should be dating." Mary graciously accepts his characteristically less-than-delicate advance. She memorializes this event by telling her friends, "I think I have a boyfriend now."

Benny flew Mary to Boston for a long weekend. Mary fell in love with the brick sidewalks and foggy mornings of Cambridge as she found herself falling in love with a certain local law student (a week prior, she texted her sister that she thought he might be "The One").

Benny visits Nashville for Halloween weekend. He meets Mary's friends and passes their many tests. The two begin planning to meet one another's families over Christmas break.

Mary comes to Chicago and meets Benny's family (and Ollie, the family's famous dog). She sightsees in what Benny calls "the greatest American city in America." The two then fly to Minneapolis, where Benny meets Mary's family and gets a taste of the world-famous Minnesota cold. He also fulfills his lifelong dream of visiting the Mall of America.

As the Spring semester begins, Benny once more flies to Nashville to enjoy some time with Mary before the grind of law school resumes. The two watch the inauguration together.

Benny is in Nashville again for Vanderbilt Law's "Barristers' Ball," which is essentially prom for graying wannabe lawyers. Mary's one condition of dating him was that he attend. The two celebrate a late St. Valentine's Day with a dinner.

Mary flies to Cambridge to spend the Easter Triduum with Benny and enjoy his apartment's famous Easter party. Songs are sung, sermons are read, punch is drunk and drunk some more, and Mary satisfies her sweet tooth. She also falls in love with St. Paul's Parish and considers how beautiful it would be to be married there.

Together for the summer! Mary and Benny are working at law firms in Washington, D.C.: finally the two are living in the same city. They try to make up for all the time away from one another cooped up in libraries, instead spending nights and weekends going to museums, sightseeing, and trying to beat the heat.

It's a misty Sunday in Washington. The night before, Benny had decided he might propose to Mary; he had several backup plans in case things weren't perfect that Sunday. These alternatives also ensured that Mary would be surprised: as the Soviets once said of Americans, "we never know what they're doing because they themselves never know what they're doing." Benny and Mary go to the Latin Mass at Saint Rita's in Alexandria, Virginia, and then eat a late breakfast. Mary and her friends go shopping (with no results, thank you very much); in the meantime, Benny plots his big ask, recruiting Grace Bannister, his blockmate and good friend from Harvard College, to play covert photographer. When Mary returns, Benny reminds her they have afternoon tickets to visit Dumbarton Oaks, a mansion and garden in Georgetown owned by his alma mater. Despite Benny's suggestion that they take a car given the DC humidity, Mary insists that they walk the mile-and-a-half journey uphill to the Oaks. Once there, Mary proceeds to explore the various nooks and crannies of the gardens in her characteristically whimsical fashion. Benny finally gets her to the rose garden, where Grace waits, disguised. When Mary stoops to pick fallen rose petals off the path, Benny gets his opportunity to leave her side and face her. Mary had insisted that she have her fingernails polished if or when he proposed. Despite Benny dropping two hints that she might acquire a manicure the days prior, she doesn't have them painted, and doesn't have any idea that he was about to propose. Remembering this, Benny apologizes: "Mary, I'm sorry, but I just couldn't wait." He gets down on one knee (his left, as is proper), holds out the ring, and asks the question. Mary, of course, says "Yes." Grace gets many photos, and despite the predictions of the "Weather App," there is no rain, no doubt in part thanks to the prayers of Benny and his friends he recruited as intercessors.