Look for the Silver Lining

Marilyn is rehearsing for a Sally revival and is struck by pain and dizziness, pressing her hands to her head. While she rests in her dressing room, a man from her hometown arrives with a Miller family poster, triggering a flashback. The flashback reveals how she joined her parents' vaudeville act while still underage. The moment sets the stage for her lifelong obsession with show business.

During a night on the circuit, Jack Donahue spots Marilyn from the audience and they ad-lib a duet. He keeps turning up on the Miller family bills, much to Papa Miller’s annoyance. A wary attraction begins to form between them.

Marilyn misreads their growing closeness as a possible proposal. She then learns Donahue is married and is surprised when his 'surprise' leads to an introduction to a British impresario who could launch her big break. The encounter hints at the career-defining opportunity ahead.

Marilyn lands a role in Profiles of 1914 and teams with Frank Carter. Will Rogers predicts she will be a hit. When authorities try to block her on account of her age, Carter spins a tale that they are engaged and gifts her a lucky elephant, beginning a quirky openings tradition.

Years pass and Ziegfeld invites Marilyn to discuss a role in his coming Follies. Frank Carter enlists in the Army during World War I. The era shapes their relationship as the industry evolves around war and glamour.

Frank persuades Marilyn to take the lead in Sally. After he returns home from the war, they elope, solidifying their bond. The couple faces the pressures of success as she advances toward a defining role.

On opening night of Sally, Marilyn expects an elephant as luck, but the package reveals the elephant broken in two pieces. Nevertheless, she becomes a huge success with the performance. The broken symbol underscores the personal costs behind the triumph.

In the dressing room, those who love her tell Marilyn that Frank has been killed in a car crash. The tragic news lands just after her triumph and shapes her future choices. The couple's shared life is abruptly cut short.

Following Sally's run, Marilyn takes a break on doctor's orders but cannot stand doing nothing. She meets producer Henry Doran II and appears in Sunny with Jack. Henry's devotion is clear, and they kiss, complicating her life.

The film dissolves to the opening scene where Jack is at the dressing room door, asking Marilyn whether there is more to life than show business. He reveals he would like to make a 'final exit' after a great closing night. Their conversation frames the tension between ambition and personal happiness.

Henry arrives; the doctor warns Marilyn against strenuous routines, including heavy dancing. Marilyn insists that performing gives life meaning, challenging the doctor's advice. Jack presses that she must stop, but she reaffirms her resolve to keep rehearsing.

Marilyn goes out to rehearse and delivers Sally's closing performance, ending with Look for the Silver Lining. The scene cements her as a legendary stage presence even as personal costs loom. The film leaves her on the threshold of a life defined by stage lights and memory.

The narrative notes that by 1949, Jack Donahue had died in 1930 on the road and Marilyn Miller had died in 1936 at age 38. This postscript colors the romantic history and legacy of their on-screen partnership.