Afterglow

Phyllis tells Lucky that Cassie is not his biological child, a revelation that shatters trust and pushes their marriage toward collapse. The admission exposes the underlying resentment and infidelity that have plagued their relationship. This rift foreshadows the couple’s eventual move to Montreal in a failed attempt to salvage something salvageable.

Cassie runs away to Montreal, seeking distance from her fractured parents. The silence between the Manns grows heavier as they drift further apart. The act plants the seed for a long, unresolved pursuit that frames the film's narrative.

The Manns relocate from California to Montreal in a bid to locate Cassie. Their search keeps the family tethered to the city, where old wounds resurface with painful clarity. The move marks the beginning of a new chapter built on unresolved pasts.

Phyllis is depressed after learning that Jack Dana, the actor who fathered Cassie, recently died. She undergoes a medical checkup and spends time revisiting her old films with Dana. The reflections deepen her sense of mortality and unfulfilled desires.

Phyllis discovers that Lucky cheats on her with his construction clients. The couple maintains a silent agreement to avoid sex, masking a deeper emotional rupture. The knowledge compounds the emotional distance and mutual resentment between them.

Lucky is shown cheating on Phyllis with Gloria Marino, underscoring the hollow nature of his marriage. The affair demonstrates how each partner seeks connection outside the relationship. Tensions escalate as deceit colors every interaction.

Marianne Byron, desperate for children, hires Lucky to build a nursery in the Byrons' condo, bringing Lucky into her orbit. Around the same time, Jeffrey Byron is drawn to Phyllis, sensing an attraction to an older, more worldly woman. The couples’ parallel desires pull them into a dangerous entanglement.

Jeffrey encounters Phyllis in a bar after she notices Marianne and Lucky on a date. An immediate spark grows for Phyllis, and Jeffrey hints at pursuing an affair with an older woman. They plan a weekend away, testing the boundaries of loyalty and desire.

At the resort, Phyllis and Jeffrey encounter Bernard Ornay and his mistress Monica Bloom, adding friction and temptation. Ornay is drawn to Phyllis, raising the specter of a love triangle. The weekend becomes a pressure cooker for flirtation and potential betrayal.

Phyllis and Jeffrey's flirtation teeters on the edge of infidelity as Ornay's presence intensifies the dynamic. Jeffrey ends contact after Ornay knocks on Phyllis's door, and the pair leave the resort the next morning. The emotional risk lingers despite their departure.

The two couples converge at the hotel bar, where Jeffrey and Lucky have a physical fight. Marianne and Phyllis return to the Byrons' apartment, where Marianne reveals she is pregnant with Lucky's child. Phyllis reacts with distress, absorbing the blow of the tangled loyalties surrounding her.

Jeffrey and Marianne reconcile after an evening of intense emotion, while Lucky reconnects with Cassie. The couples remain bound by secrets and competing loyalties, as the truth about paternity continues to loom over their relationships.

Marianne tells her friend Isabel that the baby’s father is Jeffrey, signaling she will withhold the truth from Lucky. Phyllis watches Cassie come home, crying as she contemplates the ongoing cycle of deception. The parallel to Phyllis's past decisions underscores the film’s circular tragedy.

Phyllis lies in bed crying, aware that Marianne will bear Lucky's baby and haunted by Cassie returning home. The ending mirrors Phyllis's earlier choices, emphasizing how deception reverberates through generations. The scene ends on an unresolved note of longing and ambiguity.