The girls wrestle with the question how and if partners can/want to change for each-other. For Miranda this means fitting her busy schedule to lover Steves late hours as barman and cuddling appetite when she wants to start the working day. Carrie wants to stop Big ogling other women and other 'little' things. When Charlotte decides her uncircumcised lover, restaurant critic Mike, looks like a sharpei below the belt, he decides to everyones surprise to get cut, but the psychological side-effect of his 'second virginity' makes her regret his move. Samantha is happy being the flexible one, but it rattles even her to meet a former lover who had a sex operation and renamed himself after her.

Carrie has an opportunity to buy her apartment since it's going coop, but without her ex-fiancé Aidan can't get enough capital together, so she must consider a cheaper lifestyle; Miranda calculates she wasted some $40,000 on her shoe obsession. Samantha takes a Chanel bag and other luxury gifts from Richard as a declaration of love, till she realizes how impersonal the cards are. Charlotte wanted to get her wedding ring converted to a necklace, but the words 'melt it down' make her realize she's not that ready yet. Realizing her financial misery after seeing unaffordable apartments she wouldn't even want, Carrie considers accepting a loan from Big, but after Sam and Miranda say they would rather spring her themselves tears up his check. Charlotte takes a volunteer job in the museum, and Carrie, who can only get freelance work with Vogue, works her frustrations out on the rich girl, who tells her off to manage her own finances like an adult. Taking a bath in Richards apartment, Sam bumps on his gay personal shopper Roger, and makes him put in a card mentioning love for a change. Pregnancy-horny Miranda talks Steve into giving her multiple orgasms, but 'no strings'. Charlotte gives her ring to Carrie for a down-payment, so the contract is signed.