As the video initiates, three small CV-1 cells are linked together like train cars to a much larger binucleated kidney cell. Slowly the binucleated cell and the cell at the far end of the cell series migrate away from the two central cells, which appear to have formed junctions with one another along their overlapping margins. Several different junction types may form between neighboring epithelial cells, including tight junctions, adherens junctions, desmosome junctions, gap junctions, and hemidesmosomes junctions. Though most of these cell-cell junctions can also occur among other kinds of animal cells, tight junctions are characteristically formed only by epithelial cells.

Despite their brief breakage from the group, the two wayward CV-1 cells rejoin the other connected cells late during the time-lapse sequence. As their ruffling membranes come into contact with each other, the rapid extension and contraction of lamellipodia along their shared edges comes to a halt, though it continues at other points around the peripheries of the cells. This time, the epithelial cells, which experience significant contact inhibition to migration, appear to be joined to the developing cell colony for good.

Almost immediately before the end of the video, one of the four featured cells undergoes division. Prior to the process, the parent cell retracts its surface extensions and assumes a spherical form. As soon as the daughter cells are produced, they begin to resettle on the substratum, extending out large lamellipodia. The bubbling phenomenon upon the surfaces of the cells is caused by the appearance and disappearance of blebs, small hemispherical mounds that are vestiges of their previously spherical geometry.