Editing Brief Encounter (section)

== Plot ==
In a railway station [[Railway refreshment room|refreshment room]], a man and a woman are sitting glumly at a table. One of the woman's friends comes in and immediately begins chatting away. After some terse pleasantries, the man leaves to catch his train. The woman explains that the man is about to move to Africa. After the man leaves, the woman abruptly disappears but soon returns, explaining that she wanted to see the express train pass by. After a short interval, the two women head for their own train.

At home, Laura Jesson, the woman at the table, sits in the living room with her husband Fred. Laura silently reflects on her recent experiences, which she retells in the form of a confession to her husband.

Laura visits [[Milford, Surrey|Milford]] every week to shop and watch a matinée film. During one such outing she meets idealistic doctor Alec Harvey, who works at the local hospital on Thursdays. Alec charms her by gently removing a piece of grit from her eye.

Laura continues visiting Milford on Thursdays. The following week, she runs into Alec at the [[Pharmacist|chemist]]. The week after that, they eat lunch and watch a movie together. Although they are both married with children, their innocent, casual relationship begins to deepen. The situation makes them uneasy, though they admit they love each other.[[File:BriefEncounter-TrainWindow.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Laura ([[Celia Johnson]]) and Alec ([[Trevor Howard]]) say their penultimate goodbyes at the train station.]]Laura and Alec continue meeting in public until they unexpectedly run into some of Laura's friends, necessitating the first of many deceptions. Eventually, they agree to make love at the flat of Alec's friend Stephen, who has dinner plans. However, Stephen returns unexpectedly. Stephen overhears Laura sneaking out and subtly chides Alec for his infidelity. A distraught Laura wanders the streets for three hours until a concerned police officer urges her to go home.

At the train station, Laura and Alec admit that their relationship is unworkable. For the sake of his family, Alec decides to end his relationship with Laura by taking a job in [[Johannesburg]].

The next week, Laura and Alec have their final meeting in the railway station refreshment room, as previously shown in the opening scene. As they prepare to part for the last time, Laura's acquaintance Dolly Messiter interrupts them, oblivious to their anguish.

Alec’s train arrives before they can say a proper goodbye. He discreetly squeezes Laura’s shoulder as he departs. Laura, overcome with emotion, nearly commits suicide by jumping in front of an express train. However, she gathers herself and returns home to her family.

At home, Fred acknowledges Laura's emotional distance, though whether he knows the cause remains unclear. He thanks her for coming back to him, and she weeps in his arms.

A parallel subplot involves the interactions of the station and refreshment room staff. Two of the staff flirt with each other but cannot engage in public displays of affection during work hours, which humorously contrasts with Laura and Alec's ability to meet openly with each other and inability to have a relationship outside of work hours.