Rumor Has It...

In 1997, Sarah Huttinger travels back to her hometown of Pasadena with her fiancé Jeff Daly for her younger sister Annie's wedding. She confides to her grandmother Katharine that she is uncertain about marriage, foreshadowing the emotional tensions to come. The family dynamics begin to surface as the ceremony approaches.

Katharine lets slip that Sarah's mother Jocelyn ran away to Cabo San Lucas a week before her own wedding to Earl. The revelation hints at a pattern of impulsive choices within the family and unsettles Sarah. The disclosure raises questions about Beau Burroughs and the past.

Aunt Mitsy confirms Jocelyn spent the week before her wedding with Beau Burroughs. She notes that Beau was also friends with Charles Webb, the author of The Graduate, linking Beau to the wider literary world. Sarah starts piecing together Beau's role in her family's past.

Jeff points out that Sarah's parents were married just under nine months before her birth, a clue that makes Sarah wonder if Beau could be her biological father. The idea unsettles her as she considers the possible paternity mystery. The timeline of past marriages becomes a recurring preoccupation.

Sarah confronts her grandmother, arguing that Katharine was the inspiration for Mrs. Robinson, the older seductress from The Graduate who seduced a younger man. The accusation underscores the film's themes of family repetition and desire. Katharine's reaction reveals painful underlying tensions.

After the wedding, Sarah flies to San Francisco where Beau, now a wealthy Silicon Valley figure, is giving a speech. Beau admits to sleeping with her mother and grandmother. He also claims he cannot be her father because he is sterile from a high school injury. They share drinks and a charged, complicated encounter.

The night ends with Sarah spending the night at Beau's Half Moon Bay home. The next morning she feels guilt and reluctance, but Beau urges her to keep seeing him. This marks the third generation of the family involved with Beau.

Beau asks Sarah to be his date at a charity ball, and she meets his son Blake there. Beau explains that his wife wanted a biological child and was artificially inseminated with a donor. The revelation deepens Sarah's conflict about Beau and the family legacy.

Sarah kisses Beau at the event and is caught by Jeff, who has traveled from NYC to find her. An argument ensues and Jeff leaves for New York, leaving Sarah to face the consequences of her pact with Beau. The fallout pushes her to reevaluate her engagement to Jeff.

Dejected, Sarah returns to Katharine, who reacts with anger over the Beau affair. Annie has already had an anxiety attack while flying to her honeymoon and wants to talk to Sarah. Sarah explains the intergenerational pattern, then reassures Annie that she truly loves Jeff.

Earl reveals he always knew about Jocelyn and Beau's affair. He explains that Jocelyn returned to him because she loved him, and that Sarah was conceived on the night she returned. This clarifies the unusual timing between Sarah's birth and the previous marriages.

Determined to salvage their relationship, Sarah returns to New York to tell Jeff how she feels. They reconcile on the condition that if they ever have a daughter, she will not be allowed anywhere near Beau. The story concludes with Sarah and Jeff's wedding.