In the sweltering heat of a New York summer, a mother grapples with the daunting challenges of early motherhood. Her reality is a stark contrast to the mythical portrayal of idyllic maternal life. She cradles her newborn, Button, whose cries punctuate the silence of her cramped apartment. The dichotomy of her existence is palpable: the 'before' her baby and the 'after.' Amid her struggles to interpret Button's needs, she forges an unexpected connection with Peter, her ailing neighbor, who possesses an uncanny ability to pacify the child. Constrained by their shared environment and the relentless passage of time, they face an inevitable breaking point, pushing the mother on a journey of self-discovery and a quest to find joy in the mundane.