Anne narrates the first lines as mellow piano music plays.
She is laying in a field of flowers with the love of her life, Wentworth.
She says she almost got married once.
But she says she was persuaded into leaving him.
Now she is single and thriving, as she says.
Drinking fine wine all day, taking warm baths and lying face down.
She claims who needs love when one has family.
In Kellynch Hall, Anne’s father, Sir Walter gets his face powdered.
Anne says he is full of vanity.
She describes him as someone who only respects and is devoted to himself.
Jane, Anne’s mother who got married July 15th, 1784 and died in 1801.
She gave Sir Walter 3 children.
He reads about them from his journal.
The first one, Elizabeth, known as a celebrated beauty and ‘Somerset’s most fashion-forward
luminary’.
She seems to be her father’s favorite.
Then comes Mary, the youngest, married to Charles Musgrove, heir to the elite Uppercross
estate.
She seems to be well respected all around.
Finally he reads Anne’s name, born August 9th, 1787.
She is the middle child.
Her father has a disappointed look in his eyes and has nothing to say about her.
Anne describes herself as the crack in her father’s looking glass.
Elizabeth snottily lets Anne know she did not want to add her in the family registry
but their father thought people would assume she had died.
The debt collectors barge in suddenly and carry all the expensive furniture away.
Anne says her father loves expensive things, which is probably the reason why they are
broke now.
Sir Walter’s lawyer consoles him while Lady Russell, Anne’s mother’s best friend explains
Sir Walter of the reductions he will have to make.
She has drawn up a plan of economy.
Anne says Lady Russell is insightful and helpful, who has given her lessons that her mother
would have if she was alive.
Sir Walter stubbornly refuses to back down his wealthy ways even when Lady Russell says
his practices will ruin his daughters.
He and Elizabeth think of cutting down charity cost, to which Lady Russell explains that
Jane would be ashamed.
Anne calls out her father and tells him that true reputation comes from honesty, integrity,
compassion, acceptance of responsibility for the welfare of others.
He quiets her by saying she does not understand that they are speaking of something substantial.
The lawyer suggests moving someplace smaller, maybe a place known as Bath, with lovely spas.
He further pushes the point saying a Navy officer, Admiral Croft wants to pay handsomely
for Kellynch Hall.
Said lawyer also mentioned a brother who lived among them a few years back.
Anne interrupts and mentions his name, Lady Russell looks surprisingly up at Anne.
Later, Lady Russell enters Anne’s room and reminds her that it has been 7 years since
she parted ways with Wentworth.
Anne exclaims it has been 8, but she still feels heavily for him due to the fact that
she feels like he saw her for who she was.
Anne says she is angry with herself for being persuaded to leave him, but Lady Russell pushes
her own belief onto Anne, telling her that marriage is transactional for a woman, that
Anne should marry someone of rank and fortune rather than a man who has nothing to offer
except himself.
It can be noted that marriage for a woman during that era revolved around her finding
a suitor, which could give her a comfortable life of money, rather than love and internal
comfort.
Anne justifies his past confidence by telling Lady Russell that Frederick Wentworth is indeed
a rich man now, but the reason why he has not reached out to her is because she broke
his heart.
Lady Russell leaves the room after telling Anne to abandon all hope regarding her past
love, as that ship has already sailed.
She stops herself from crying alone and wipes at her eyes.
Anne narrates her own thought process, she believes he did not fight for her because
he was a proud man who could not value love that was not offered freely.
She opens up a box of trinkets that he gave her, like the first note he passed her in
church, the romantic playlist he gave her, a lock of his and his horse’s hair etc.
She confesses that she has been keeping track of all news surrounding her ex-lover, but
there has been no news of his marriage, indicating that she still has hope blooming in her heart.
At lunch, the family talk about their future life at Bath, well, mostly Elizabeth.
Anne stays quiet and observes her surroundings, where Penelope Clay sits with them, a widowed
woman, the daughter of Sir Walter’s lawyer who has eyes on Anne's father.
They agree to take her to Bath as they flirt and laugh giddily with each other.
Anne finds out she might not be going to Bath with the rest of her family.
Instead she will be travelling to Uppercross to care for her sick younger sister.
Anne sighs with contempt.
Elizabeth and Sir Walter leave the next morning, leaving Anne to tend to the cleaning of the
house.
The Croft’s, who are the new tenants of the house walk in the garden with Anne and
chit chat.
They talk of their brother who Anne actually already knows.
They tell her his ship is arriving at the dock in 2 days time and he would be able to
join us for dinner then.
As Anne travels in a carriage across greenery, she contemplates about meeting Wentworth again
and thinks up scenarios in her head.
She arrives at Uppercross and hangs her coat, while narrating her point of view about her
youngest sister, Mary who is a bit of a narcissist.
Anne walks in and listens to her sister complain exactly the way she has guessed she would.
2 girls outside the window run to meet Anne, who identifies them as her sisters-in law,
Henrietta and Louisa Musgrove.
The run in and hug her, and Anne hugs back just as excitedly.
Mary’s husband walks in and tells them that Frederick Wentworth will be visiting them,
to which Anne bites her lips and remains nervous.
Back in their bedroom, Louisa instructs anne on how to court Wentworth, oblivious to the
fact that Anne has already loved him for quite some time now.
When Mary’s son hurts his arm by falling down a tree, someone must stay at home and
miss dinner to take care of the young boy.
Mary, even though she is the mother gets out of missing the dinner by claiming she is an
empath, who feels for her son so much she should be away from him, she gets anne to
stay and care for the little one.
Later that night, Anne drinks by the window, watching Wentworth at the party and in her
drunken stupor, calls out his name and hides herself from view, in the process spilling
a drink on herself as well.
The next morning, Anne is joking around with her nephew, playing the role of Captain Wentworth
when he surprises her by walking into the room.
She hurriedly takes off the basket made for bread sitting on her head and stares at him
with jam on her upper lips.
She calls him old to his face, and realizes that is quite rude so she corrects herself,
but he replies as haughtily to her.
They go back and forth a little before Mary’s husband takes him away from the awkward air.
At night, the family walk to the Great House of Uppercross, where a dinner is being held.
Louisa holds Anne’s arm and forces her to have a seat right beside Wentworth, who is
there with his sister and brother in law, the people who have rented Kellynch Hall.
Anne hurriedly walks away, refusing to sit beside him and searches for an empty seat,
by the time she finds one, no one pushes her forward and she has to do so herself, calling
attention to herself.
A few moments later, Louisa who sits with Wentworth goes on chatting with him, they
seem to be having a great time together and Anne stares at them, feeling appalled.
Wentworth tells the table how he is planning to get married at this point.
Anne, frustrated, blurts out that Charles, Mary’s husband wanted to marry her first
before he married Mary.
Later that night, Anne plays the piano as the guests dance with each other.
She jealously notices that Louisa and Wentworth are together again.
It seems they have taken a liking towards each other.
The next morning, Anne sits by the window with her pet rabbit when Mary approaches her.
They talk and with surety Marry says Frederick will propose to Louisa.
Anne says she does understand why people think marriage is all a woman wants, to which Mary
says that marriage is a woman’s greatest happiness.
It is very doubtful that she means it though, judging by her nonchalant stance.
Her nephews call her out to play and as they are running in the forests, they get carried
away.
Anne falls to the ground but much to her surprise, Frederick helps her with the boys.
While he is leaving, Anne tells him she does not want him to be angry with her, to which
he asks her what she would rather want him to be, and continues walking away.
When Anne, Mary and her sisters in law go on a walk, Louisa confesses to anne that she
is falling in love with Wentworth.
Anne seems disgruntled by this but stays quiet.
A few feet away, Wentworth and Charles stand.
They continue to walk together.
Wentworth and Louisa go their separate way to sit by a pond and Anne secretly follows,
hiding behind a tree.
There she finds out that Wentworth thinks of her as the same as the rest of her selfish
family.
But sweet Louisa stands up for her and implores her to look for the good in anne.
They also decide to meet later this evening.
Anne walks back with a hurt foot, feeling dejected.
They run into Mr and Mrs Croft on the way and they offer Anne a ride back home, which
she reluctantly takes.
The family goes to Lyme for a trip because Captain Wentworth wants to introduce some
of his friends.
Even though Anne is not feeling up to it, she is forced to by her sister.
At Lyme, she is introduced to Captain Harville, who tells her about another captain friend
of his, who has fallen into sorrow after his fiancee died.
They talk a bit before they all return for dinner.
At the table, Anne has a conversation with the sorrowful captain, known as Benwick, they
talk of Lord Byron and poetry and seem to be somewhat kindred in spirit.
The next morning, while taking a walk by the sea, the group runs into a charmingly handsome
and mysterious man wearing black clothes and a top hat.
When asked by Frederick if he needs any help, the man refuses cunningly and walks off.
Anne, who is by the sea picking at shells from the sand is approached by Frederick,
who apologizes for the mysterious man who ran into them this morning.
He continues by telling her that he has lived with several versions of her all these years,
and that he would like to put the past behind them.
Anne smiles happily and knowingly, understanding that a confession of love is on the way, but
he surprises her by telling her he wants to be friends!
She lies about wanting the same.
He wishes her to find love and thanks her sincerely.
While walking away, Anne tells him that she hopes he will pursue the admiralty, as everyone
around him wants that for him.
When he says his friends don’t know him, she presses, saying she knows him, and that
she knows he likes a life of consequence.
He tells her a secret that he has been keeping to himself.
Whenever he was lost and confused at sea, he would imagine what Anne would do in that
situation and he would follow suit.
Frederick compliments her, he says she is direct and focused, calm and thoughtful, equipped
with intelligence.
After he leaves, she goes inside the water to swim and clear her head.
The clear water and evening sky look beautiful as she pokes her head in and out of the water.
Frederick watches her for awhile before leaving.
Now at the residence where they are staying, Anne bumps into the man with the top hat once
again.
He blatantly lets her know of his desire for her to notice him, and asks if he will see
her again, to which she replies back flirtatiously and leaves him standing with a smirk on his
handsome face.
Anne hurries upstairs and asks for the man’s name, which she learns is William Walter Elliot,
who is on his way to Bath.
He is their father’s heir, who is set to inherit their estate.
When asked further, Mary tells her in laws that their father wanted Mr. William to marry
Elizabeth so he could be in direct line to ownership, but Mr. William refused and got
married to an American lady.
The reason why he is in black clothes is because his wife just died.
Louisa says the Elliot’s must hate him for the embarrassment he has caused, to which
Mary and Anne state that is why he is liked.
A while later, while out on a walk, Louisa jumps in Frederick’s arms from a distance,
but when she climbs up to do it again, even against his wishes, she slips and hits her
head on the rocky path.
She is rushed home and a doctor is called, she has a very bad concussion but not one
that will not get better.
Frederick asks Anne to stay with Louisa but Mary stubbornly inserts herself in the picture,
saying she wants to stay.
In the carriage on the way back home, Frederick takes solace in Anne's presence and takes
advice from her.
He tells her he is responsible for Louisa now and asks how he should tell her parents.
They bid goodbye and she travels to Bath next.
At Bath, Lady Russell and Anna have a picnic together.
They catch up with each other, and on the way back, she tells Lady Russell that she
already met the handsome Mr. Elliot.
Anne goes to her new residence and is bombarded with criticisms from her father and Elizabeth,
after which she is asked to get the door for Mr. Elliot.
She reintroduces herself as his cousin Anne, but he continues flirting with her.
A few days later, in the evening of one day, Elizabeth plays the piano while Elliot approaches
a quiet Anne sitting alone.
He tells her of his plan to stop Anne’s father from remarrying in fear, that he will
have a son who might rob Elliot of his titles.
Anne simply compliments his openness about the matter.
He then asks about poor Louisa, who seems to be recovering, albeit slowly.
The next morning, their family goes to visit some rich distant relatives who are at Bath
currently.
Once there, it is so awkward and quiet that the sound of a clock watch beats loudly.
Anne talks about her weird dream to lessen the silence, and Mr Elliot helps her make
more sense out of it.
The subtle flirting from his side makes Anne excited, though she does not dare show it.
Lady Russell and Anne walk in town and she tells Anne to pursue Elliot if he makes his
intentions clear.
Lady Russell then breaks the news of Louisa and Frederick’s engagement, it comes as
a shock and Anne asks to be alone.
She cries alone in bath later on, and says she imagined this moment to be elegant for
her.
The next day at a bakery shop, she runs into Frederick.
They are interrupted by Elliot, who invites Frederick to a concert the next day.
Frederick watches Anne leave with melancholic eyes.
At the concert, him and Anne have a conversation about him leaving to sea, but as they are
talking, they are once again interrupted by Elliot, who whisks anne away for an Italian
translation.
When the concert starts, Fred sits behind Anne and witnesses Elliot with his hand on
her shoulder.
He gets up to leave, but Anne follows him, telling him she wants to continue their talk.
Right at that moment, Elliot comes up behind them again and this time, Frederick leaves.
Elliot confesses to Anne that he wants to make her his wife.
He asks her to think about it.
The next day, Anne who is about to go upstairs in her house with a bottle of wine and her
book, is interrupted by Mary and Charles visiting.
They take her to the inn where they have a little ‘Lyme’ reunion.
There, Frederick watches Anne’s conversation of love with Harville.
Anne finds out that it is not Frederick that Louisa is engaged to, but Benwick.
They somehow fell in love at Lyme during her injury.
Hearing this, Anne is very surprised and speed walks to the table Fred was sitting at, reading
the note he left her.
Frederick has left a beautifully written, artistically crafted love letter telling her
he is still in love.
Anne runs outside to catch up to Fred, and as she is running she witnesses Elliot kissing
Penelope Clay, she wishes them the best and continues running for Frederick.
She catches up to him and kisses him with all her might.
They hug each other tight while the sun hits them warmly.
The next scene shows Elliot and Penelope getting married, while Anne and Frederick are sitting
in a field by the cliff, he teaches her nautical navigation, which she finds easy.
They lovingly kiss in each other’s arms in the end.