The following version of the is book was used to create the guide: Kane, Jessica Francis. Rules for Visiting. Penguin Random House LLC, 2020.

Jessica Francis Kane's novel Rules for Visiting is written from the main character May Attaway's first person point of view. The novel toggles between the past and present tenses, and employs frequent scenes of flashback in order to enact May's internal experience. The following summary leans upon the present tense and abides by a linear mode of explanation.

Forty-year-old May Attaway lives in Anneville with her 80-year-old father Earl. When her mother got sick some years prior, May left her life in New York City to help care for her mother and support her father. She moved back into the house her father built in their Duck Woods neighborhood. Shortly thereafter, May's mother died one night when she fell down the stairs. In the years following this tragic incident, May felt incapable of returning to her old life.

May has created the semblance of a life for herself in Anneville. Although she has a home and has worked as a gardener for the local university for years, May has no friends. She has largely lost touch with her former companions, and struggles to make new connections in the present. She likes her coworker, Sue, and the owner of the local taqueria, Leo. However, May has trouble investing any real time or effort into these acquaintanceships.

When the university gives May a month of paid leave for her contributions to the campus, she decides she must do something significant. She therefore contacts her four oldest and last remaining friends. She arranges to see Lindy in Connecticut, Neera in Seattle, Vanessa in New York, and Rose in London. As she prepares for these trips, however, May becomes increasingly anxious. She looks to books and literature to understand what it means to be a friend.

Throughout her time in Connecticut, May and Lindy reconnect. They reminisce about old times and reestablish their old friendship. Some time later, May flies to Seattle. Because Neera is in the midst of separating from her husband, the trip is less restful. However, May still appreciates Neera letting her into her life. When May visits Vanessa in New York, she realizes that she too is struggling with her marriage and children. May wants to be close to Vanessa, but Vanessa seems doubtful that May can change. After leaving New York, May heads to London to see Rose. When Rose learns that May planted a cutting from a fabled yew in Scotland, she insists that they travel to see the 3,000-year-old tree together. While viewing the tree, May reveals that she buried her mother's ashes with the yew cutting.

Upon returning to her home in Anneville, May has gained a new perspective on her life. She pursues a relationship with Leo despite her previous fears. She invests in her friendship with Sue. She is kinder and more generous to her father and the neighbors. One night, she even invites all of her new companions over for food. Having recently confronted her true sorrow over losing her mother years prior, May has found the courage and energy to pursue happiness in her daily life.