It Starts With Us

The story of It Starts With Us begins with the unexpected reunion of Lily Bloom and Atlas Corrigan on the streets of Boston. After their reunion, Atlas goes to one of his restaurants and finds that it has been vandalized. When he sees that the vandal has stolen food, he empathizes with the person and chooses not to call the police. He waits eagerly for a text from Lily while at the restaurant.

Lily, on the other hand, is struggling to concentrate at work due to her encounter with Atlas. Being a domestic violence survivor, Lily is worried about her ex-husband Ryle’s reaction to her dating again, as they co-parent their daughter, Emerson. Lily is overwhelmed by these thoughts and delays reaching out to Atlas. When Atlas confides in his co-worker’s son, Theo, about his dilemma with Lily, Theo advises Atlas to text her. However, Lily's response disappoints Atlas.

When Lily returns home that evening, she finds Ryle in her home. Lily requests that Ryle return her key and they argue about Lily’s refusal to allow Ryle to keep their daughter overnight. Lily worries about Ryle’s temper, as he can be uncontrollable.

The next day, Atlas discovers his other restaurant has been vandalized as well. He receives an unexpected phone call from his estranged mother, but he hangs up on her and blocks her number. Atlas surprises Lily at her florist shop with lunch to reach out to her again. When Ryle unexpectedly arrives, Lily hides Atlas to avoid confrontation with Ryle. Later that evening, Atlas calls Lily and asks her out on a date, which she agrees to. During their conversation, Lily shares her concern over Ryle’s hatred for Atlas, and upon Atlas' request, she reads him a portion of her teenage journals.

In the days that follow, Atlas and Lily continue to talk on the phone, and when their date arrives, Lily falls asleep on the way. Atlas allows her to sleep and reads from another journal she had gifted him. Inspired by Lily’s journals, Atlas writes her a note about his history before meeting her and shares it with her when she wakes up. After their date, Lily returns to Allysa’s house to pick up Emerson and finds Ryle there. Ryle confronts Lily about their daughter’s name, which was inspired by the movie Finding Nemo, a movie significant to Lily and Atlas as teenagers. Ryle grows aggressive and storms off.

Sutton, Atlas's mother, visits his work and tells him that he has an 11-year-old brother named Josh who is missing. Atlas becomes frustrated with his mother’s lack of concern and her preoccupation with the potential legal trouble she faces if Josh does not return. Shortly after, Atlas receives a phone call from Lily, upset, and rushes to her. Lily gives Atlas the next journal to read, and later that evening, Atlas reads it while waiting for the appearance of the vandal. When the vandal appears, Atlas confronts him and discovers it is his brother, Josh, who has been vandalizing Atlas’s businesses for attention. Protective of Josh, Atlas feeds him and invites him to stay with him. The next morning, Atlas calls his mother on the advice of his lawyer, and she orders him to return Josh. Upon returning Josh to his mother, Atlas witnesses Sutton abusing Josh and takes him back to his home.

Days later, Atlas surprises Lily with lunch again, and she invites him to a wedding. On the day of the wedding, Atlas helps Lily get dressed and notices a heart-shaped tattoo near her shoulder. Lily reveals that he is the inspiration for the tattoo, and they kiss for the first time as adults. They have sex after the wedding and discuss their past. Atlas leaves Lily a letter as she sleeps and