Limbo

Donna ends her relationship during an event at the hotel and asks Joe to help her move. This moment marks the start of a growing closeness between Joe and Donna, hinting at a romantic connection. Noelle watches with mixed feelings as the situation develops.

Joe and Donna grow closer after the hotel encounter, signaling the start of a romantic relationship. Noelle feels uneasy about her mother's lifestyle and the new bond between Joe and Donna. The tension foreshadows family and romantic conflicts to come.

Frankie and Lou acquire a fishing boat as collateral and offer Joe a chance to return to fishing. Joe agrees, hoping for steadier work and income. He brings Donna and Noelle along on coaxed terms, tying their fates to the sea again.

Donna overhears the story behind Joe quitting fishing: a deadly sinking that claimed the lives of his boatmates, including the brother of Smilin’ Jack. The revelation deepens the emotional weight of Joe’s choices. It also adds a layer of tragedy to the current plan to fish again.

Bobby, Joe's dissolute half-brother, shows up and asks Joe to help crew his boat for a client. They dock for the night in an isolated bay, where Bobby reveals a marijuana-smuggling operation and their plan to meet his partners to settle a debt. The stakes grow clearer as danger closes in.

That night, men sneaking onto the boat kill Bobby, leaving Joe, Donna, and Noelle in immediate danger. The trio must flee into the surrounding darkness to escape the killers. The incident shatters any sense of safety and shifts the mission from profit to survival.

Joe, Donna, and Noelle escape to a nearby island and take shelter in an abandoned cabin. They work to survive by scraping together food and keeping a signal fire, formulating a fragile rhythm in the face of pursuit. The isolation forces them to confront each other and their feelings.

Noelle spends the nights reading segments of a diary she found in the cabin, recounting a teenage girl’s imagined experiences. Joe and Donna listen, and the stories become a porous window into Noelle’s own feelings. The diary episodes deepen the emotional bond among the trio while blurring lines between fiction and reality.

Donna eventually discovers that the diary is blank after the portions Noelle read earlier, revealing that Noelle had fabricated much of its contents. The revelation strains trust within the group and reframes the meaning of the diary they shared. It becomes a symbol of the fragile storytelling they use to cope with their isolation.

A seaplane piloted by Smilin’ Jack Johannson lands on the water near the island, claiming to be looking for supplies and to have heard of three castaways. He says his radio is busted and he lacks fuel to reach them, giving Joe a glimmer of potential rescue. Jack’s arrival injects a glimmer of hope but also suspicion.

Joe grows wary of Jack, suspecting that the seaplane's presence may be a front for those who killed Bobby. He notices the radio has been removed, making any rescue seem uncertain and potentially complicating escape routes. The tension between relying on outside help and staying hidden intensifies.

A stretch of rainy weather hinders any flights that could reach the castaways. The downpour prolongs their isolation and tests their endurance and solidarity. The delay also heightens the emotional strain as fear and fatigue mount.

In the morning, a seaplane approaches the island, larger than Smilin’ Jack’s craft, suggesting a true rescue is near. The trio must weigh trust, hope, and the reality of escape as they prepare for whatever comes next. The film leaves their fate momentarily suspended at the edge of flight.