The Notebook (2004)

Plot Synopsis The Notebook (2004)

The movie begins in a modern-day nursing home, where an elderly man named Duke reads a romantic story from his notebook to a fellow patient. The story takes place on June 6, 1940, at a carnival on Seabrook Island, South Carolina, where a poor lumber mill worker, Noah Calhoun, is hanging out with his friend. At that time, Noah is attracted to a 17-year-old heiress named Allie Hamilton, who is spending the summer in town with her parents.

He learns from his friend that she is the daughter of a very wealthy man. Although Allie is playing with her friends, Noah immediately approaches her and asks if she wants to go on a date with him. A confused Allie does not seem interested in him and decides to walk away with her friends. Noah, who is totally in love with her, looks for other ways to get her attention. While Allie and her friends are enjoying the Ferris wheel ride, Noah suddenly jumps into the middle of the ride and calmly introduces himself to Allie.

He also asks her for the second time if she wants to go out with him, threatening that he will jump from above if Allie refuses his request. Thus, Allie is forced to say yes because she is scared for his life. The next morning, Noah pursues her again and asks her to go with him on a date, like she promised at the carnival the night before. At first, he is devastated to learn that Allie has changed her mind. Noah then says that he will do whatever Allie wants. Even so, she still does not want to date him. That night, his friend Fin and Allie’s friend Sara set up a date for Noah and Allie in a movie theatre.

Inside, both of them are constantly looking into each other’s eyes and smiling. After watching the movie, Noah takes Allie for a walk instead of going home with their friends. Afterwards, Allie tells him what she does every day, and it is revealed that her parents have been controlling her life all along. Because Noah feels her life is less free, he tells Allie to do something different that will change her life by lying in the middle of the road, explaining that he and his father and he used to do this.

Allie initially does not want to do it because it is dangerous, but because the streets are quiet, she finally decides to give it a try. A few moments later, a car comes by out of nowhere. Luckily, they can run away before the car hits them. Thus, Allie thinks it was funny and laughs it off. After that, they start to dance and enjoy the beautiful moments, especially Allie, who has never felt freedom in her life before. Since then, they have fallen in love and spend most of their time together, starting their summer romance.

One night, Allie goes over to Noah’s house and meets his father, Frank Calhoun, who warmly welcomes her. She brings her painting for Frank and eventually learns that Noah used to stutter as a child, so his father had him read some poetry aloud to stop his stuttering. After that, they have dinner together and also have a great conversation. Day by day, the two of them are very affectionate, and nothing can separate them. In fact, Allie is getting closer to Noah’s family and friends. They also often go on double dates with Fin and Sara. Later, Noah is invited to Allie’s house by her parents, John and Anne Hamilton.

At the party, Noah shares about his current job as a lumber mill worker and that he makes 40 cents per hour. Hearing this, everybody at the table goes silent, indicating that her family is unimpressed with him. Anne then tells him that Allie is going back to New York after the summer vacation, which obviously makes him very sad. That evening, Noah takes Allie to the abandoned Windsor Plantation and tells her that he intends to buy and restore it for them. While there, they attempt to make love for the first time, but Allie is nervous and rambles about not being ready for it.

Shortly after, they are suddenly interrupted by Fin with the news that Allie’s parents have the police out looking for her, as it is late at night. Hence, both of them rush back to Allie’s house as quickly as they can. Her parents, particularly her mother, Anne, make it clear that they do not approve of her relationship with a poor man like Noah and forbid her from seeing him. Overhearing Allie’s mother’s insults, Noah decides to walk out of the house, but Allie immediately chases after him. An argument breaks out between them, and Allie breaks up with Noah, which she immediately regrets.

A brief scene shows Duke and the old woman from the beginning, who says that Allie must have been devastated and that Noah should stay with her regardless of what her parents say about him. The next morning, Allie learns from her mother that they are returning home to Charleston that day, a week earlier than originally planned. Even though Allie does not want to, Anne still forces her to come with them. Therefore, Allie tries to meet Noah at work one last time, but she fails because Noah goes to deliver goods.

She then asks Fin to tell him that she loves him very much. When Noah returns, Fin informs him of Allie’s message earlier, and he rushes to her house. Unfortunately, he finds the gate already locked. Noah writes a letter to Allie every single day for a year, but Allie’s mother intercepts them, so Allie will not know about those letters. After 365 letters, Noah stops writing and decides to put it all behind him because he does not get any reply from Allie. Therefore, Noah and Fin continue their lives in Atlanta. They enlist to fight in World War II, where, sadly, Fin is killed in battle.

Meanwhile, Allie volunteers as a nurse’s aide in a hospital for wounded soldiers, where she meets Captain Lon Hammond Jr., who asks her out on a date. He is very rich and works as a lawyer. In no time, the two fall in love, and after a few years, Lon asks her to marry him, to the delight of Allie’s parents. On the other hand, Noah comes home from the war and finds out that his father has sold their house so Noah can buy and restore the Windsor Plantation, just as he promised Allie. He then convinces himself that if he restores the house, Allie will come back to him sooner or later.

When Noah travels to Charleston to get approval for his construction plan, he accidentally sees Allie walking by the side of the road. Unfortunately, he is very shocked after seeing Allie kissing another man. Even though he is hurt, he still restores his dream house with Allie in mind, holding on to the hope that she can come back to him. It can be seen at a glance in the current timeline that the nurse asks Duke and the old lady to have lunch first before continuing their story. Afterwards, Frank dies, leaving Noah alone with the house.

In just about ten days, he will put the house on sale. Many people want to buy his house, even offering him more money than what he wants, but he always finds a reason not to sell it to them. One day, while Allie is being fitted for her wedding dress, she spots a story in a newspaper about the house Noah has completed, causing her to faint for some reason. Apparently, she is overwhelmed with memories and unresolved feelings for Noah, so she asks permission from Lon to take a trip before the wedding. She then returns to Seabrook to find Noah living in their dream house.

However, the story has to be stopped again because the doctor has to check Duke’s health. On the other side, the old lady feels as if she has heard this story before. It turns out that Duke has had two heart attacks over the last 18 months. The doctor tells him that his attempts to recover the old lady’s memories will be in vain, as her dementia is incurable. However, Duke still believes that he can recover her memories and continues the story. Allie wants him to be her friend after explaining everything about her affair with Lon.

With fortitude, Noah invites Allie to dinner while reminiscing about their memories at the house. She also wonders if they really loved each other in the past. When Allie wants to go home, Noah asks her to come back the next day because he wants to show her a special place. Back in the present, Duke’s children and grandchildren come to see him at the nursing home. They get acquainted with the old woman. When she leaves, his children want Duke to come home and live with them because of his futile attempts to recover the old lady’s memories.

They also promise to take turns visiting her. At this point, it is revealed that the old woman is Duke’s wife. In the end, he still wants to be with his wife and believes that a miracle will happen. Later, Allie stays at the only hotel in Seabrook. On the other hand, Lon is very worried about her condition. She tells him that she loves him very much and promises to call him the next day. As promised, Allie goes to Noah’s house the following morning. The two rekindle and consummate their relationship.

Noah takes her around the lake in his boat, surrounded by many geese, while feeding them. In the middle of the lake, a rainstorm comes their way. Because of that, Allie feels free in her life again after a long time. She cannot control her emotions and asks Noah why he did not send her any letters. She eventually learns from Noah that he sent her 365 letters. Noah says that the most important thing is that their relationship is not over yet. They soon return home and love each other passionately.

The following morning, Noah had gone somewhere and surprised Allie with a canvas and her painting kit. She then freely paints on the balcony of the house. After a while, Anne suddenly appears at Noah’s doorstep to warn Allie that her fiancé has followed her to Seabrook. Allie also uses the opportunity to confront her mother about the letters she has been hiding from her for years. Thus, Anne apologizes and asks Allie to go somewhere with her. She reveals that, like her daughter, she once loved a lower-class young man and still thinks about him to this day.

When they return to Noah’s house, he is already home, and Anne finally gives Allie the letters Noah wrote, hoping she will make the right choice. After that, Allie explains to Noah that she has to leave because Lon has arrived in Seabrook. Knowing this, Noah becomes very angry and believes that she will marry Lon because he is wealthy. After an emotional argument, Allie makes the difficult choice to drive back to her hotel. In her confusion, she almost hits a car in the middle of the road. She then decides to read one of Noah’s letters. Allie becomes very emotional and starts to cry while reading it.

The scene moves back to Duke and his wife. For some reason, the old lady is very sad to hear the story. Duke then invites her to a candlelight dinner prepared by the nurses. The old lady becomes more and more curious about which man Allie will choose. Back at the hotel, Allie meets Lon and confesses her infidelity to him. He is very confused and does not know what to do next. In spite of everything, Lon says that he still loves her and wants her back, but he does not want to force her to marry him. Therefore, Allie decides to return to Noah in the end. At the end of the story, Duke explains to his wife that Noah and Allie live happily ever after.

Because of that, the old lady starts to remember that the couple in the story were themselves. The old lady is Allie, and the old man is Noah. It is finally revealed that Noah deliberately disguised his name so that Allie’s memories could return naturally. They hug and love each other. Allie then asks how long it will be before she forgets again, and Noah tells her it will not be more than five minutes. They start dancing to their favourite song for a while. When Allie asks him about their children, she suddenly relapses and starts to panic.

Hence, the medical personnel have to put her under sedation to calm her down, which devastates Noah. Afterwards, Noah looks at photos of their memories, and it turns out that during the early stages of her illness, Allie had written a journal detailing their romance and life together so Noah could read it to her to help her remember. The next day, Noah suddenly has a heart attack and is immediately hospitalized. Meanwhile, Allie is sent to a dementia ward in the same hospital, feeling something empty inside her heart.

While recovering that night, Noah is eager to meet his wife. Even though he is not allowed in at first, he eventually visits Allie’s room, and this time she remembers him. She is afraid of what will happen if she does not remember anything again, and Noah assures her that he will always be there for her. They end up kissing, holding hands, and falling asleep together. The next morning, a nurse enters the room and finds them both dead, with their hands still clasped together.

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Movie Recap of The Notebook (2004)