In 1978, three children named Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were raised in Hailsham, a British
boarding school for donors.
Ruth is more confident and popular among the three.
Kathy is her best friend, who is naturally compassionate.
Meanwhile, Tommy is shy and awkward in socializing with other pupils in the academe.
Headmistress Miss Emily supervises the school.
She is known to be strict in upholding the rules and regulations of Hailsham.
One time, she saw three burned cigarettes hidden in a pot.
She speculated that a student had been smoking.
She confronted everyone and told them that they were special.
And it is of paramount importance to keep themselves healthy.
Everyone played on the field.
Meanwhile, Ruth and Kathy were lying on the grass.
Ruth noticed that Miss Emily was having a conversation with a lady.
She assumed that it was the new teacher.
The school had not hired someone for quite a long time.
The new guardian is Miss Lucy.
She observes the children as they enjoy playing.
The ball fell over the fence.
It was just near, but Tommy did not get it.
Miss Lucy found it unusual, so she asked the students out of curiosity.
Hailsham’s boundary is the fence, and they are prohibited from going beyond the barriers.
They were told that it was dangerous.
It was also believed on the campus that once you go over the fence, you cannot return alive.
Miss Lucy was too stunned to speak.
She thought that the headmistress brainwashed them.
Since they were not able to discover the world outside, she realized that the children were
raised far more than normal.
The next day, the children rushed outside to play.
But before they set foot on the field, they must scan their wrists first.
Outside, the boys were grouping themselves to play.
However, they didn’t want Tommy to join.
They left him in the middle of the field.
He felt like an outcast and screamed out of anger.
He seems to start a rage anytime.
The compassionate Kathy approached him.
She wanted to comfort the boy, but as she patted his back, the boy accidentally hit
her on the face.
Tommy ran away, ashamed of what he had done.
Miss Lucy was awaiting him under the tree and told him something.
Kathy had a bruise on her face because of Tommy.
This alarmed the Hailsham doctors upon conducting regular check-ups.
After that, she went to Miss Lucy, curious about what she had said to Tommy earlier.
The teacher told her that he was trying to calm him down.
She already knew that the kids mistreated him during Art and Sports class.
Kathy was glad to hear that and left.
At the school cafeteria, healthy foods are only served to the students.
After Kathy filled her tray, she sat at Tommy’s table.
She pitied him because he was eating alone.
Tommy was delighted to see someone willing to sit with him.
He smiled at the young girl and asked why she was not with her friends.
He continued talking and apologized for hitting her face last time.
He explained that it was an accident and he didn’t hit girls.
Kathy stared into his eyes and assured him that it was fine.
Miss Lucy was looking at them, smiling that the two were getting along well.
Days passed by, and Kathy spent more time with Tommy.
She observed some changes in his personality.
He’s now cheerful and happier than ever.
He can also control his temper, unlike before.
If there is one thing that didn’t have improvement, it was his confidence.
One time, Miss Lucy taught the class about acting.
The setting is a café where Kathy takes an order from the cashier, and the remaining
pupils are her customers.
The first lady ordered tea with milk and sugar.
Tommy, the next customer in the line, was staring blankly at something.
Everyone called him to order.
He rattled and didn’t know what to do.
So he ordered what the lady before her got.
Everyone laughed.
Miss Lucy instructed him to decide on another drink different from the others.
He uttered water.
His classmates burst laughing for the second time.
Kathy pitied him and whispered to say coffee.
At last, Tommy ordered coffee with milk and sugar and passed the acting activity.
He became grateful to Kathy for that.
Creativity is important in Hailsham.
Every three months, students are to submit all their creative works.
Guardians give a corresponding token for every item they present.
During the event they call ‘Exchanges,’ student can trade their tokens for creative
pieces done by their classmates.
Months pass, and the art gallery is fast approaching.
The students prepared to present their creative work for the event.
Miss Emily will be the one to pick the best paintings.
One morning, Kathy and Ruth sneak into the principal’s office to eavesdrop.
Miss Emily had a hard time choosing the best paintings.
They also heard that Madame Marie-Claude would visit to look at the art pieces.
During the assembly, students were gathered to welcome Madame Marie-Claude.
She will carefully inspect the artworks and poetry of students.
The best ones will be showcased in her exhibit.
Miss Emily also told the students that for those who were diligent in collecting tokens,
there would be a sale the next day after classes.
Everyone cheered with gladness.
They can finally trade their coins for bumper crops.
The students started their day early.
They were all excited as they took their bread and milk.
The much-awaited arrival of the van that carries the bumper crops finally arrived!
Everyone stood in the lobby to welcome the driver.
They asked him if those boxes were bumper crops.
The driver confirmed, and everyone got excited.
The students went to their dormitories to get the tokens they had gathered for almost
three months.
They rushed to the room where the big sale was held.
It turned out that the bumper crops they are referring to, are the abundant supply of used
toys and clothes available for trade.
As a newbie in Hailsham, Miss Lucy was saddened by what she saw.
She pitied the students’ condition.
They were all happy to trade even if the toys were damaged.
They have no idea about the quality of toys sold outside the world they knew.
Despite that, her heart melted with the genuine smiles on their faces as they received their
goods.
Kathy, on the other hand, looked sad.
She was seated outside, waiting for everyone to finish buying stuff.
Tommy noticed her and offered some of his tokens.
The little girl replied and declined it.
She told him she still had some, but planned to enter there once the rushing buyers were
all settled down.
Tommy smiled and showed her a music tape.
He bought it for her.
The girl was touched by his sweet gesture.
She kissed him on the cheeks to show him she was grateful.
Kathy was alone in the girl’s dormitory.
She played the music tape, and a romantic song filled the air.
She loved it!
She hugged her pillow and swayed her head to the melody.
The following day, heavy rain poured down.
Everyone lost their energy with the gloomy weather.
Miss Lucy came into the room.
She was still bothered by the sale event, and the other recently discovered things.
She pitied the students and decided to share her thoughts with them.
As a guardian, she wanted them to know their real situation.
She told her class that there were some things the school told them, but some were not revealed.
Even if they were told about it, they did not understand those.
The Guardian also asked them if they knew what children would become in the future.
But none responded.
She told them that children become adults meant to work in their field of expertise.
Unfortunately, children in Hailsham will only experience adulthood in a short period.
They were raised to donate vital organs in the future!
This explains why the headmistress is strict in terms of health and wellness aspects, and
doesn’t want anyone to go beyond the fences.
On their third or fourth donation, their mission is complete.
Their life will also be bound to end after that.
Silence filled the room.
The children couldn’t process what Miss Lucy was saying.
Miss Lucy’s revelation to the fourth-year pupils reached the headmistress.
The next day, the students were gathered for a short assembly.
There, Miss Emily announced that Miss Lucy was terminated as a guardian.
A replacement is ongoing.
In the meantime, the class will be divided between her and Miss Geraldine.
During the assembly, Kathy saw Ruth holding Tommy’s hands!
Later that day, she also saw her kissing Tommy.
She felt heartbroken.
Ruth mistreats Tommy every time, and she tells her that her crush is Arthur.
Kathy felt betrayed.
She liked Tommy all along.
During their remaining years in Hailsham, Kathy wished that Ruth and Tommy would separate
like other couples in the house, but they never did.
In the year 1978, they are already eighteen years old.
Hailsham students were divided and went to different accommodations around the country.
Meanwhile, the three of them were transferred to farm buildings called Cottages.
They are only waiting to be old enough to be able to start donating.
In their new home, they can volunteer as carers for ill donors.
They can also have a day trip around the countryside if they want to.
In the room, they meet the couple, Crissie and Rod.
They are more exposed to worldly things, unlike them.
It was also their first time watching something on television.
Their roommates laughed at the skit, except for them.
They could not comprehend the jokes the actors were telling.
Ruth, on the other hand, was trying hard to belong to them.
She copied what Crissie does to Rod, like squeezing his shoulder.
One night, Kathy confronted Ruth about why she changed herself just to belong to their
roommates.
Ruth was pissed off and told her that she was just jealous for not having a boyfriend,
and being surrounded by couples.
Since then, Kathy also observed that Ruth and Tommy were influenced by what they observed.
Because of magazines, televisions, and their roommates, they discovered worldly things.
One time, she saw them upstairs making love.
Outside, she also saw a magazine with adult photos.
These made her curious at some point about what it feels like to have a man.
The next day, Crissie and Rod planned to have a trip.
They also invited Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy.
The three were excited.
It is their first time to go outside and roam around freely.
In the restaurant, Crissie and Rod noticed that they were just staring at the menu.
The waiter was already standing to take their orders, but they didn’t know what to do.
The couple wanted to laugh, but they pitied them.
While dining, the three were also noisy which bothered other diners.
Crissie and Rod wanted to talk about something.
They heard that couples have deferrals to delay organ donation.
They know Hailsham couples that were given a chance to be together for years before starting
the donation process.
Deferrals will only be permitted to couples who can prove they love each other.
Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy just stared at each other.
They are from Hailsham, but they have no idea about deferrals.
The couple was confused.
They were desperate to send an application, and they thought that the three could help
them.
The car was filled with silence as they went home.
Before going to their rooms, they scanned their wrists, indicating they had returned.
The next day, Tommy and Kathy went out to stroll around the forest nearby.
There, the man thought that maybe Crissie and Rod were right.
Hailsham may have an arrangement on couples that they didn’t know.
He speculated that they have art exhibits every three months so the administrators will
get to know them more.
What you draw reflects your soul.
It could be that student-couples who express love for their creations were pulled out for
deferrals.
Kathy was amused with his idea.
She was convinced that it might be true.
There, she asked him if he was interested in applying for deferral with Ruth.
Tommy said that he was not interested.
Days passed by, and Tommy and Ruth’s physical intimacy was intensifying.
One night, Ruth came into Kathy’s room.
She told her that she knew what was on her mind.
That she was jealous and wished that Tommy and she will separate.
Ruth also said that Tommy would never be in love with her.
Kathy shed tears.
The next day, Kathy decided to be a carer.
She couldn’t take watching Tommy and Ruth happy.
They were so in love, and she felt left behind.
While traveling away from the Cottage, she couldn’t believe that her friendship with
Tommy and Ruth was destroyed by jealousy.
She could have spent more time with them at Hailsham.
She regretted that so much.
Right after she left, it was unexpected, but Ruth and Tommy broke up.
In 1994, Kathy was already in Completion.
She became busy attending to her donors that she had no time to dwell on her thoughts on
Ruth and Tommy.
For many years, her hope to see them again also faded.
Unlike her stay in Hailsham and Cottages, she had enjoyed her life as a carer.
She would travel from different countries and transfer from centers to hospitals.
However, what hurts more in being a carer is when she witnesses her donors, who could
not continue their third or fourth donation because of complications.
She has also seen some losing life before her.
And every time it happened, it was the same pain.
One time while signing release papers, she saw a familiar face on the computer.
It was Ruth!
The nurse said that she had already undergone two donations.
Kathy went to her room.
She’s in a walker.
Ruth was delighted to see her.
The two greeted each other with no hate.
They had a conversation where Ruth said her body felt weak after two operations.
She thinks that she can no longer make it to her third.
She never met Tommy, but he was also on his second donation.
Unlike Kathy, Ruth was hopeful that she could meet her someday.
She’s glad that she did.
Kathy, on the other hand, wants to fix their friendship.
She pitied Ruth so much.
Later that night, she peeled her oranges, and the lady teased her that she was doing
a great job as a carer.
The next day, Kathy contacted her coworkers to see if they knew a patient named Tommy.
Someone called back and knew him.
Kathy and Ruth rushed to meet him.
He just underwent his second operation, but he can walk, unlike Ruth.
They picked him up to go somewhere.
While in the car, Tommy could not believe that the three of them were reunited.
He thought that it would be impossible to meet again.
They headed to the beach, where he ran to the shore like a kid.
Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy missed each other.
They talked about the good old days and how their co-donors in Hailsham ended up.
Silence filled the air.
Suddenly, Ruth spoke.
She apologized to Kathy for interrupting her life with Tommy.
She already knew that the two of them would likely end up.
Ruth also sees real love going on between them.
However, jealousy arises.
She was afraid to be left alone with no one loving her.
That was the main reason why she flirted with Tommy.
For her, it was the worst thing she ever did.
Being confined in hospitals made her decide to make things right.
Tommy replied that it was too late to bring things back.
Kathy, on the other hand, thought that it would also be impossible.
However, Ruth insisted that they could apply for a deferral.
She gave them the address of Madame Marie-Claude, whom they could reach out to, for the application.
Tommy accepted it.
After that reunion, Tommy and Kathy started their relationship.
They planned to apply for deferral the following week after Tommy’s lab tests.
Tommy also showed her some drawings as evidence that they were in love.
He also spent his night with Kathy drawing.
He created more knowing that he didn’t submit drawings to Madame back then because he hated
art so much.
Meanwhile, Ruth’s condition is worsening.
She’s already in a wheelchair, looking pale and weak.
She was happy that they considered her suggestion to apply for the deferral.
Shortly after, Ruth underwent an operation for her third organ donation.
This time, it was her lungs to be taken out.
She passes away after that.
Days passed by, and Kathy and Tommy went to the address that Ruth gave.
They were nervous and held hands as they got nearer to their destination.
They found themselves in an apartment near the beach.
Inside, a woman was doing gardening.
It was Madame Marie-Claude!
The woman visits their school to gather their drawings.
They introduced themselves as previous students of Hailsham.
Tommy also told her that they came because they wanted to talk about something.
He also told her they brought drawings she could display in her exhibit.
The Madame smiled and invited them inside.
In the living area, they saw a painting of Hailsham.
It was so beautiful and looked like the actual school.
Madame offered them a seat.
Tommy did not waste a chance and immediately expressed his intention.
They told her that they were in love, and they had evidence to prove that.
Tommy showed his drawings.
The Madame smiled and looked curious.
She told them to continue talking.
Tommy told her that they were interested in applying for deferrals.
Since art reflects the artist's soul, he wants to present his creative pieces as evidence
of his love for Kathy.
He also apologized for only making those in the Cottages because he had no chance to create
one at Hailsham.
Back then, he hated art so much that he did not participate in exhibits.
Even if it was too late, he wants her consideration that they deserve to be granted deferrals.
The woman smiled and scanned his creative pieces.
However, she apologized.
She told them that she had no idea about the deferrals.
Suddenly, Miss Emily entered.
She was delighted to see Kathy and Tommy.
The headmistress recalled Kathy as a brilliant and creative student.
Meanwhile, she described Tommy as a boy prone to rages.
The couple burst laughing as they reminisce about their life at Hailsham.
Headmistress Emily told them that Hailsham was the last place to consider the ethics
of donation.
The purpose of having galleries every three months is to show other people that donor
children have abilities like normal people.
They are all saddened to let them go.
However, the worsening medical conditions of humanity made them so.
It was true that they encountered couples from Hailsham and took them to donate their
organs.
However, deferrals are true and never existed.
Donor children have no way to escape their destiny.
Miss Emily also clarified to the couple that they make students draw not to read their
souls, but to know if they have souls as donors.
Kathy and Tommy were left in silence.
They were dismayed by what they learned.
Tommy rushed to his car, upset.
Meanwhile, Madame Marie-Claude pitied them.
She was sad about not being able to extend help.
Regardless, Kathy thanked her for her time.
Inside the car, Tommy and Kathy became hopeless.
They have no choice but to accept their fate as donors.
Suddenly, Tommy requested to stop the car.
He went out and couldn’t anymore hold his emotion.
He had a breakdown and screamed in the quiet evening to release his disappointment.
Kathy cried seeing him hurt.
She went out to comfort him.
He only calmed down after she hugged him tightly.
They sat on the ground and cried in the middle of the road.
Days pass and Tommy lies in the operating room for his third donation.
Kathy was outside looking at him through the glass window.
Tommy smiled at her before the doctors put him to sleep.
His smile gave Kathy flashbacks.
She could not believe that the Tommy she was with at Hailsham was now undergoing his last
operation.
Tommy passed away after that.
Kathy lost her best friend and lover.
Every day, Kathy visits his grave.
She also went to the fence where two white ribbons were tied.
It represents Ruth and Tommy.
She cried, knowing she only had one month before her first operation.
She wanted to tell her best friends about it, but she could not hug them anymore.
Despite that, Kathy was thankful even for the little time that she spent with them.
In her mind, if their lives were not meant to save other people, Tommy, Ruth, and her
could have been complete until now.