Jindabyne

Before the fishing trip, Claire experiences morning sickness and contemplates pregnancy. She visits a doctor to discuss the possibility of abortion but has not told Stewart yet, a secret that weighs on her and casts a shadow over the upcoming trip.

During their annual fishing trip in the high country, the four men discover a girl's body floating in the river. The girl is Aboriginal, and the discovery shocks them while raising questions about who did it. Stewart ties the body to the riverbank, unsure how to proceed.

The next day, Stewart goes fishing and catches a large fish. The men choose to stay the rest of the afternoon rather than inform the police immediately, planning to report the death in the morning when they can safely navigate back.

While the men are away, Jude and other wives gather socially. Jude reveals that their daughter died nearly two years earlier, leaving them to raise Caylin-Calandria, who has psychological issues, and Claire’s prior mental breakdown and abandonment of her first son. Tensions about motherhood and responsibility surface amid the revelations.

The men return home late Sunday night and report the body to the police, then go to their respective homes. Stewart finds Claire sleeping prone and, in a moment of closeness, tries to initiate intimacy but does not disclose the discovery.

The next morning, the police come to interview Stewart at home. The officer expresses clear disgust that they fished around a dead body instead of reporting it immediately, setting a tense tone for the inquiry.

At the police station, the men offer a cover story—Carl strained his ankle and prevented them from walking back. The conversation hints that being Aboriginal makes their actions appear negligent, fueling the town’s scrutiny and suspicion.

The Aboriginal community vandalizes some of the men's businesses, painting slurs and branding them as racists. The conflict underscores the clash between western settler culture and Aboriginal beliefs in the region.

Claire and Elissa are the only ones who express genuine remorse, reaching out to the girl’s family and gathering donations for her funeral. Their kindness contrasts with the others’ defenses, highlighting the town’s divided moral stance.

As Claire presses for honesty, Stewart erupts in a rage and they fight. He tells Claire he will never let her take his son, exposing the fracture in their marriage. Carl defends Caylin-Calandria, insisting the granddaughter should not bear blame for the tragedy.

At the memorial service, the rest of the men and their wives attend with the children. Stewart apologizes on behalf of the men, but the girl's father spits on the ground and walks away, marking a tense moment of attempted reconciliation that does not erase the underlying guilt.

Throughout the film, the murdering electrician continues to pop up and even attends the memorial service. He is never caught, leaving the still-raw wound of the event to fester within the community and within the relationships among the men.