Gossip

During a Manhattan college communications class, Derrick, Travis, and Jones bond over gossip. They decide to create a rumor about fellow student Naomi and her boyfriend Beau as their final paper. The trio plans to track how the rumor spreads across the campus, treating it as an experiment.

At a campus party, Derrick witnesses Naomi and Beau kiss in the adjacent room. Beau tries to have sex with Naomi but she rejects him and later Naomi passes out. The group decides to seed a rumor that Naomi and Beau slept together.

The lie rapidly circulates across campus, growing beyond the trio’s control. Jones works on her paper while Travis turns the rumor into an art installation featuring warped photos of Naomi. The project gradually blurs lines between fiction and reality.

Naomi, unable to remember the night, believes she was raped by Beau. Beau denies the claim, but witnesses recall his celebratory mood afterwards. Naomi reports the incident to the police and Beau is arrested.

Jones feels remorse about the consequences, but Derrick and Travis urge her to keep quiet. The social fallout damages Naomi, Beau, and others on campus as the rumor continues to spread. Jones debates revealing the truth but is pressured to remain silent.

Jones learns Naomi and Derrick attended the same high school and had dated. A staff member confirms Derrick raped Naomi after she refused sex, a revelation that shatters Jones’s perception of the target. The discovery intensifies the moral stakes of the rumor.

Jones confronts Derrick, who claims the sex was consensual and that Naomi made up the rape story to cope with a failed relationship. His reputation collapses, and his family disavows him after the accusation. He admits selecting Naomi as the target of his revenge.

Jones tries to confess to the police, but Derrick manipulates events to make it look as if Jones is in love with Beau, undermining her credibility. The police dismiss her account, and Travis refuses to aid her, recalling Derrick’s past favors. The investigation grows tense and unresolved.

Beau learns of Derrick’s assault on Naomi and the two clash. Derrick tricks Beau into thinking they are both victims of Naomi’s lies, then knocks him unconscious. The confrontation deepens the campus turmoil and fear surrounding the case.

Derrick goes to Naomi’s dorm and taunts her about the party night, then leaves. The next day Naomi is found dead, reported as a suicide. The case’s dark history and Derrick’s manipulation fuel police suspicions against him.

Investigators search Derrick’s apartment after suspecting him in Naomi’s death. Travis overhears Derrick attempting to blame him, using Travis’s art as supposed evidence. The detective appears convinced Derrick is guilty and leaves to obtain a warrant.

Derrick packs a bag to flee when Jones warns him. A gun struggle erupts and Derrick fatally shoots Jones. In a panic, Derrick tries to persuade Travis to take the blame, but Travis refuses.

Derrick confesses to raping Naomi, hoping to deflect blame. His confession is captured by recording equipment secretly installed by Travis, turning the moment into a cinematic show of guilt and truth.

The recording replays the confession, and Naomi and Beau appear, revealing the campus rumor was part of a larger setup. Goodwin hints at a lingering affair rumor about Derrick and Jones, underscoring how manipulation corrupted everyone. The police and witnesses begin to confront the truth as the room clears.