Nocturnal Animals

Susan Morrow presides over an upscale Los Angeles art gallery, curating ambitious shows. Her current exhibit features obese majorettes dancing vigorously and naked, a provocative centerpiece that unsettles her investors. She then receives a manuscript from her estranged ex-husband, Edward Sheffield, titled Nocturnal Animals.

Distracted by her crumbling marriage to the unfaithful Hutton Morrow, Susan becomes absorbed by the novel and its emotional force. Reading the manuscript, she feels a mix of anger, curiosity, and longing as the story unfolds. The tale begins to pull her away from her real life.

Shocked by the novel's dark intensity, Susan starts to reminisce about meeting Edward in college and their blossoming romance. She remembers how her domineering mother objected to him, claiming he was not worthy of her.

Her mother's objections echo through the memory, underscoring the gulf between Edward's romantic worldview and conventional ambition. Susan's resolve hardens as she faces the choice between two lovers and two paths.

Edward still loves Susan and tries to repair their relationship, but Susan is already involved with Hutton Morrow. She eventually divorces Edward and chooses to marry Hutton after aborting Edward's child.

Within the novel, Tony Hastings, a family man, embarks on a road trip through West Texas with his wife Laura and daughter India. Their journey is derailed when they cross paths with three local troublemakers.

The trio forces Tony off the road and abducts Laura and India, leaving him powerless to intervene. He is forced to drive their car to the end of a road before being dumped at a remote location.

The pursuit leads Tony to a nearby farmhouse to call the police. Detective Roberto Andes joins the case, and together they uncover the naked bodies of Laura and India near an abandoned shack.

A year after the murders, Andes identifies Lou, while Ray is charged as an accomplice. The case lingers with only circumstantial evidence tying Ray to the pivotal crimes.

With retirement looming and terminal cancer, Andes decides to take matters into his own hands by abducting Ray and Lou to force a resolution. Tony reluctantly agrees to participate, seeking closure for his family.

Andes shoots Lou when she tries to flee; Ray escapes but Tony tracks him to the shack. Ray admits raping and murdering Tony's wife and daughter, and a confrontation ends with Tony shooting Ray but being blinded when Ray hits him with a fire poker.

Blinded and wounded, Tony staggers outside, shoots himself, and dies. The violent end leaves both men broken and the case unresolved in the eyes of those left behind.

Back in the present, Susan finishes Edward's Nocturnal Animals and arranges to meet him for a reconciliation. Edward fails to show up, and Susan waits alone as the restaurant empties.