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A Small September Affair (2014) movie poster

Plot Summary

A Small September Affair (2014) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2014 · 102 mins · Turkish
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Starring
Engin Akyürek, Farah Zeynep Abdullah, Ege Aydan, Serra Keskin, Ceren Moray, Onur Tuna

A young woman with a privileged life experiences a traumatic car accident, and briefly dies. Upon regaining consciousness, she's told that she’s fine, but she's haunted by a disturbing realization: she can't recall the events of the previous month. A crucial September has vanished from her memory, leaving her to uncover the truth behind her lost time and the unsettling feeling that something is terribly wrong.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in A Small September Affair: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of A Small September Affair (2014) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Eylül, Farah Zeynep Abdullah, is a young woman from a wealthy background who is currently dating a successful movie star, Onur Tuna. Despite being happy with her life, she admits that she does not feel truly in love. Her world begins to change after a car accident while traveling with her boyfriend, which leaves her with minor injuries but also causes her to forget the entire month of September—a period that holds significant meaning for her, as her name suggests.

Seeking answers, Eylül journeys to Bozcaada, a scenic island where she spent that very missing month. There, she encounters a man named Tekin, or Tek, played by Engin Akyürek, a gentle and reserved local. Tek, who is shy about his appearance and lives a quiet life, claims they have met before and that she had fallen in love with him. Curious and confused, Eylül pushes him to explain using his caricature drawings, which reveal memories she cannot access. The film alternates between her present-day conversations with Tek and the flashbacks of their relationship during that lost month.

In the past, Eylül was on vacation on Bozcaada Island with friends. Tek, who is a talented painter of caravans and signboards, falls instantly in love with her, despite his shy demeanor. His best friend, Serra Keskin, portrays Gülşah, a young girl who introduces Eylül and Tek. Initially, Eylül thinks of Tek as a fleeting summer attraction, especially as she is involved with her boyfriend Onur Tuna, whom she describes as her "success story" but not her true love. However, her boredom with her current relationship begins to grow, and she impulsively decides to extend her stay on the island, encouraged by Tek's persistent pursuit.

Tek invites her into his world through simple yet meaningful acts—shared breakfasts, watching sunsets, dancing at local gatherings, and convincing her to delay her departure. Despite Tek’s fears because he cannot swim, Eylül persuades him to join her in the water one day, deepening their bond. Over time, their connection intensifies, culminating in a night when Eylül's friend Berrak calls, but she doesn’t disclose that she’s with Tek; her feelings are becoming conflicted.

As they grow closer, Eylül and Tek share an intimate moment, falling in love. The next morning, Eylül wakes up feeling happy, but as she looks at her reflection, she faints in a panic, overwhelmed by how much she has changed and how deeply she has fallen for Tek. She calls Berrak to come and pick her up to leave the island. That night, while dancing with Berrak, Ceren Moray, and her boyfriend, Eylül sees Tek approaching and claims that Eylül is his girlfriend. She dismisses him, saying it was just a summer fling, and prepares to leave the island.

However, Tek appears one last time, desperately pleading for her to stay. Eylül laughs him off and departs, leaving Tek heartbroken. Unable to cope, Tek walks into the sea and drowns himself. This tragic event marks the moment when her forgotten September is finally restored.

In her current life, the realization floods back—the car crash was triggered when she saw an obituary for Tek in the newspaper. Panicked, she drove recklessly, desperately trying to find him. Back in the present, she dives into the water where she finds Tek's pen. Using it, she writes “I love you” in the sand, echoing the love he expressed for her earlier in the film. Heartbroken but at peace, Eylül leaves a note in Tek’s garden with his pen, creating a symbolic makeshift gravestone for him. Through this journey, she finally acknowledges her true feelings and the profound impact Tek had on her life.

Last updated: August 05, 2025 at 06:59

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Plot questions answered

A Small September Affair Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about A Small September Affair (2014): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did Eylül lose her memories of September?

Eylül lost her memories of September due to the car accident she was in while traveling with her boyfriend Atil. The trauma from the crash caused psychogenic amnesia, wiping out her entire memory of the missing month. However, the deeper reason for her memory block is psychological, her mind is repressing the traumatic events of that September, particularly Tek's death.

  • memory loss
  • amnesia
  • car accident
  • psychological trauma
Q2

Why did Tek drown himself?

Tek drowned himself out of heartbreak after Eylül rejected him and left the island. When he approached her during a gathering with her friends and publicly declared her as his girlfriend, Eylül dismissed him as "just a summer fling" and prepared to leave. Devastated and unable to cope with the loss, Tek walked into the sea, a tragic act motivated by his inability to live without her.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Tek admits he cannot swim, yet he walks into the water, suggesting his desperation outweighed his fear.

  • tek drowning
  • suicide
  • heartbreak
  • rejected love
Q3

What caused the car crash in the present day?

The car crash was triggered when Eylül saw Tek's obituary in a newspaper. The news of his death caused her to panic and drive recklessly in an attempt to reach him, leading to the accident. This explains why the crash occurred immediately after she regained consciousness, her subconscious was processing the traumatic loss of Tek.

  • car crash
  • obituary
  • tek death
  • driving accident
Q4

Why did Eylül leave Tek despite loving him?

Eylül left Tek because she was overwhelmed by the intensity of her feelings and the realization of how much she had changed. After their intimate night together, she woke up, looked at her reflection, and panicked at the person she was becoming, someone who had fallen deeply in love with another man while still in a relationship. Rather than face this conflict, she chose to flee back to her old life.

Foreshadowing: Throughout their time together, Eylül is shown conflicted about her feelings, often hesitating to fully commit to Tek.

  • eylul leaves tek
  • emotional conflict
  • abandonment
Q5

How did Eylül meet Tek on Bozcaada Island?

Eylül met Tek during a summer vacation on Bozcaada Island with her friends. Tek, a shy painter of caravans and signboards, was introduced to her through Gülşah, a young local girl. Tek was instantly infatuated with Eylül and began pursuing her by inviting her to traditional meals, sunset views, and local gatherings.

  • tek and eylul meeting
  • bozcaada
  • summer romance
Q6

Why did Eylül faint after waking up next to Tek?

Eylül fainted because she was overwhelmed by the realization of how drastically she had changed. Looking at her reflection, she saw a different person, someone who had fallen deeply in love with a man outside her established life. This moment of self-recognition terrified her, causing her to panic and faint.

  • eylul faint
  • self-reflection
  • identity change
Q7

What is the significance of Tek's pen that Eylül finds in the water?

Tek's pen symbolizes the connection between Eylül and Tek and serves as a tangible link to their love story. Tek used the pen for his caricature drawings, which he used to help Eylül remember their time together. When she finds it in the water, she uses it to write "I love you" in the sand, finally expressing the feelings she never voiced to him while he was alive.

Foreshadowing: Tek's caricatures are presented as visual memories throughout the film, making the pen a symbolic extension of his art and love.

  • teks pen
  • pen symbol
  • love declaration
  • sand writing
Q8

Why didn't Eylül tell Berrak about Tek during their phone call?

Eylül didn't disclose that she was with Tek during Berrak's phone call because she was already conflicted about her feelings. She was maintaining a relationship with Atil while developing deeper feelings for Tek, and her hesitation to reveal the truth reflected her internal struggle between her old life and her new emotions.

  • berrak phone call
  • secrecy
  • emotional conflict
Q9

Why did Eylül decide to extend her stay on Bozcaada Island?

Eylül extended her stay on Bozcaada because she was growing bored with her relationship with Atil and felt a genuine attraction to Tek. Despite initially viewing him as a fleeting summer fling, Tek's persistent pursuit and the meaningful experiences they shared, including watching sunsets, dancing at local gatherings, and swimming together, made her want to stay longer.

  • eylul stays longer
  • bozcaada vacation
  • summer attraction
Q10

What does Eylül's note in Tek's garden represent?

Eylül's note in Tek's garden serves as a makeshift gravestone, symbolizing her acceptance of Tek's death and her acknowledgment of their love. By leaving a note written with his pen near his garden, she creates a memorial for him and finally confronts the truth about her feelings, bringing her partial closure despite the tragic loss.

  • note gravestone
  • memory
  • acceptance
  • closure
Q11

Why did Eylül call her relationship with Tek "just a summer fling"?

Eylül called her relationship with Tek "just a summer fling" to dismiss him publicly in front of her friends and to convince herself that it wasn't serious. However, this was a defense mechanism, she was actually deeply in love with him but was terrified of the changes he brought out in her and the conflict it created with her existing relationship with Atil.

  • summer fling denial
  • repressed love
  • public dismissal
Q12

What does Eylül writing "I love you" in the sand symbolize?

Eylül writing "I love you" in the sand symbolizes her finally expressing the love she never verbally acknowledged to Tek while he was alive. It represents her acceptance of her true feelings and her attempt to find closure, though tragically it comes after his death. The act also mirrors Tek's earlier declarations of love for her.

Foreshadowing: Tek consistently expressed his love for Eylül throughout their time together, making her silent declaration a poignant reversal.

  • i love you sand
  • declaration of love
  • closure
  • posthumous expression

Movie threads

More Movies Like A Small September Affair, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes A Small September Affair tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about uncovering tragic past romances like A Small September Affair

Characters unravel a beautiful but devastating love story from their forgotten past. For viewers who appreciated the melancholic mystery of A Small September Affair. This collection features movies like it, where characters investigate a lost or forgotten love, leading to bittersweet revelations about a tragic romance and themes of grief and self-discovery.

  • tragic
  • romantic
  • melancholic
  • nostalgic
  • regretful
  • reflective
  • Tone: melancholic, tragic, romantic
  • Pacing: steady, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a character in the present who is missing a key piece of their past, often a romantic relationship. Through investigation, flashbacks, or recovered memories, they slowly uncover the details of a deep but doomed love affair, culminating in an emotionally heavy realization about loss and what might have been.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared structure of a romantic mystery rooted in tragedy. They balance a reflective, often melancholic tone with a steady pacing, creating a poignant exploration of love, memory, and grief that resonates deeply with viewers.

Melancholic self-discovery dramas similar to A Small September Affair

Quiet, reflective stories where profound personal truth comes with a heavy emotional cost. If you liked the heavy emotional weight and reflective mood of A Small September Affair, explore these similar movies. They feature quiet, character-driven stories about individuals facing grief and loss on a journey of painful but necessary self-discovery, often with a bittersweet conclusion.

  • melancholic
  • reflective
  • quiet
  • tragic
  • regretful
  • dreamlike
  • Tone: melancholic, reflective, regretful
  • Pacing: steady, quiet
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories follow a protagonist, usually in a state of emotional turmoil or confusion, who embarks on a quest for truth about their life or identity. The narrative unfolds at a deliberate pace, emphasizing internal conflict over external action. The climax is not a traditional victory but an acceptance of a painful reality, where self-awareness is achieved at a significant emotional price.

Why they belong together: They share a core focus on the melancholic and often painful process of gaining self-knowledge. The experience is defined by a heavy emotional weight, a steady, contemplative pacing, and a tone that is deeply reflective and regretful, making the viewer feel the character's emotional burden.

Every angle

A Small September Affair (2014) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about A Small September Affair in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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