South Solitary

Meredith Appleton and her elderly uncle George Wadsworth arrive on South Solitary island. George has been sent as the new Head Lighthouse Keeper after the suicide of the last one. His gruff, exacting manner sets a tense tone for their unfamiliar life on the island.

Meredith quickly meets Nettie, a local girl who becomes a guide to the island’s rough charm and social rhythm. Nettie introduces Meredith to Alma Stanley and her two sons, Tom and Robbie, helping to map the community around the lighthouse. These introductions begin to reveal the island’s tight-knit, if wary, social fabric.

George disapproves of the state of loose animals and the absence of the missing lighthouse keeper, Jack Fleet. He also recalls a history of lighthouse outages, hinting at deeper troubles beneath the surface. Meredith senses the isolation pressing in as she tries to find her footing.

That night, Meredith hears baby birds chirping in the stovepipe and douses the fire, missing the moment to make hot tea for her uncle. The small mishap underscores how isolation and routine fragility complicate even ordinary acts of care. It foreshadows the precarious balance she must navigate on the island.

Behind the scenes, Jack Fleet—the missing lighthouse keeper—suffers a panic attack on his watch, a consequence of wartime trauma that shadows the island. His vulnerability adds an undercurrent of danger and unpredictability to the lighthouse’s daily routine. This backstory colors Meredith’s later judgments and interactions with him.

Nettie shows Meredith the island’s emergency message system using homing pigeons, a routine check that reveals its unreliability. The birds return to their coop, undermining safety when it matters most. The moment emphasizes the fragility of communication on South Solitary.

In a quiet moment with Alma, Meredith reveals she cannot bear children and explains how she lost her fiancé in the war and faced complications that led to the removal of her womb. The confession deepens Meredith’s sense of vulnerability and her longing for a permanent home. The exchange also clarifies why the possibility of staying somewhere steadier matters so much to her.

Harry Stanley visits Meredith during her bath and seduces her in a moment of misguided longing. Nettie witnesses the encounter and tells her mother, who then informs George. The family soon leaves on the next passing ship, signaling a rapid upheaval to Meredith’s attempt at building a life on the island.

While pushing ahead with supplies for the lighthouse, George’s exertion triggers a heart attack. He collapses, and the episode marks a turning point as Meredith and Jack confront the future without him. The event deepens the sense of solitary duty that will define their roles.

George dies from the heart attack, and Meredith and Jack bury him on the lighthouse grounds with a quiet, heartfelt eulogy. His death entrusts them with the heavy weight of keeping South Solitary running. The loss sharpens the bond between Meredith and Jack as they prepare to carry on alone.

A fierce gale arrives, sealing Meredith on the island with Jack for several days. During the storm she learns how to manage the light and semaphore, and their conversations become the lifeline that keeps loneliness at bay. Meredith discovers a depth to Jack that unsettles him, triggering a panic that drives him to withdraw into the surrounding wilderness.

After the storm, Meredith finds her lost lamb with Jack’s help, a small symbol of return and responsibility. A distant ship appears on the horizon and Jack signals for it to pick up Meredith, but he declines the offer, overwhelmed by the prospect of close companionship. They share a kiss before parting, vow to keep in touch, and the final image lingers on Meredith watching him from the water as the semaphore message he has displayed flickers in view and the island fades behind her.