Endings, Beginnings (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

After her painful breakup with Adrian, Daphne moves into her sister Billie's poolhouse and commits to a six-month sabbatical from alcohol and men. This decision comes from advice she received to pause and reassess what she truly wants from life. After four turbulent years in a relationship and an abrupt departure from her job, she needs time to rebuild her sense of self and find stability outside of romantic entanglements.

Foreshadowing: The sabbatical sets up the central tension of the film, Daphne seeking self-discovery while immediately being drawn back into complicated romantic situations.

• sabbatical
• breakup
• Adrian
• self-discovery
• rebuilding life

At Christmas, Daphne visits her mother Sue and finds their relationship distant and cold. Sue is self-absorbed and already partnered with a European man named Karl. She shows little sympathy toward Daphne's heartbreak over the breakup with Adrian. The strained dynamic reflects years of complicated family history, which eventually improves as both women work toward reconciliation by the film's end.

Foreshadowing: The wedding ring Sue gives Daphne connects to family history and foreshadows later themes of commitment and reconciliation.

• Sue
• mother
• family tension
• Christmas
• Karl

Sue gives Daphne her wedding ring, an object with a complicated history tied to Daphne's family. The ring symbolizes the weight of past family choices and the fragile quest for lasting connection. Later, Daphne pawns the ring, trying to sever painful family history and reclaim control over her future.

Foreshadowing: The ring's pawning represents Daphne's attempt to break free from family patterns, though her eventual reconciliation with Sue shows she doesn't need to abandon her roots to move forward.

• wedding ring
• family history
• Sue
• pawn
• connection

Daphne meets two fundamentally different men at New Year's: Frank, who is free-spirited and unpredictable, represents adventure and passion, while Jack, a sober writer and academic, offers steady, domestic companionship. Unable to choose, she dates both, living a domestic life with Jack while continuing to text and flirt with Frank. This reflects her deeper uncertainty about what she truly wants: stability or spontaneity, commitment or freedom.

Foreshadowing: Frank's visit where he leaves his dog with Daphne sets up their eventual reconnection, while Jack's eventual struggle with the pregnancy reveals his limits.

• Frank
• Jack
• choice
• romance
• commitment

After weeks of seeing both Frank and Jack, Daphne learns she is pregnant. The timing means the baby could be Frank's, since their passionate encounters occurred during this period. She visits a gynecologist to confirm the pregnancy, and the uncertainty around paternity becomes a major source of conflict in her relationship with Jack.

Foreshadowing: Frank's earlier visit where he leaves his dog and returns for an intimate encounter directly precedes the pregnancy reveal.

• pregnancy
• Frank
• paternity
• doctor
• confirmation

When Daphne tells Jack about the pregnancy, he admits he is happy about the child but feels betrayed by the uncertainty surrounding paternity. Since Daphne has been seeing both him and Frank, Jack cannot be certain he's the father. He asks Daphne to leave, unable to accept raising a child who may not be his. This reveals his limitations despite his steady, thoughtful nature.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Jack discussing his views on children, making his later reaction feel consistent yet heartbreaking.

• Jack
• paternity
• betrayal
• pregnancy
• relationship

Daphne receives a message from Jed, her former boss, apologizing for past inappropriate behavior, specifically, having sex with her. This revelation explains part of why Daphne left her job so abruptly after the breakup with Adrian. It also shows a pattern of boundary issues in Daphne's life, both personally and professionally, contributing to her sense of betrayal and loss of control.

Foreshadowing: This backstory adds depth to Daphne's decision to take a sabbatical and explains her complicated relationship with her own boundaries.

• Jed
• former boss
• apology
• workplace
• boundary

After witnessing a fight between her sister Billie and brother-in-law, deepening her sense that love and commitment are hard to sustain, Daphne pawns the wedding ring her mother gave her. She tries to sever painful family history and reclaim control over her future. The act symbolizes her attempt to break free from inherited patterns of relationship dysfunction.

Foreshadowing: The pawning happens right after seeing her sister's relationship struggle, reinforcing Daphne's fear that commitment leads to conflict.

• wedding ring
• pawn
• family history
• control
• Billie

Around five-and-a-half months pregnant, Daphne runs into Frank, who expresses surprise at her bump. After a hesitant start, he indicates he wants to be involved in fatherhood. They reconnect, and Daphne begins to imagine what life could look like with him. This marks a turning point where she moves toward embracing an uncertain but hopeful future.

Foreshadowing: Frank's earlier visit where he couldn't take his dog showed his chaotic lifestyle, but his desire to be involved in fatherhood suggests growth.

• Frank
• reconnection
• fatherhood
• pregnancy
• future

At the film's end, Daphne receives an encouraging message from Adrian, her ex-boyfriend whom she broke up with at the beginning of the film. The message offers support for her choices and signals personal growth on both their parts. It represents a sense of continuity beyond their chaotic past and allows Daphne to feel cautious optimism about what comes next, even as she moves forward with a complicated situation involving Frank.

Foreshadowing: Adrian's message closes the loop on Daphne's original breakup and shows how far she has come in redefining herself.

• Adrian
• message
• support
• growth
• closure