Turn Back the Clock

On March 6, 1933, Joe Gimlet hosts a dinner with his wife Mary where his childhood friend, banker Ted Wright, pitches a plan to invest $4,000 in Joe's business. Ted frames it as a life-changing opportunity, and Joe is eager to commit, while Mary hesitates to part with their savings. The evening exposes a fault line in Joe's marriage, as his drunken envy over Elvina seeps into the discussion.

After leaving the dinner intoxicated, Joe's reckless drive ends in a car crash that lands him in the hospital for surgery. The accident serves as the catalyst for his uncanny journey through time. He begins the long, painful recovery with the suspicion that something extraordinary has happened to him.

Joe awakens as a younger version of himself, back in his hometown and among the places he knows so well. A newspaper recounting Roosevelt's African expedition confirms he is out of sync with time. He resolves to navigate this second chance without revealing his future knowledge.

To survive, Joe takes a job as a soda jerk, living a simpler life while keeping his future knowledge secret. He learns the rhythms of his hometown and observes faces he once knew without tipping them off. The ordinary job anchors him as he tests his adjustments to the past.

Joe meets Elvina and forms a romance, becoming engaged while still young and unaware of the consequences for Mary and his mother. Elvina's charm pulls him into a life he's only beginning to understand. His decisions here echo through the lives of those he left behind.

Joe marries Elvina and begins leveraging his glimpses into future events to amass wealth and social standing. He enjoys public notice as a benefactor, but his happiness is tempered by the strain of keeping secrets from those closest to him. His marriage marks a turning point with consequences that ripple outward.

With his prescience, Joe's wealth grows and he engages in philanthropic acts that boost his public image. He receives praise and influence, even as the personal costs of deception linger. The arc presents a man who has it all yet remains emotionally unsettled.

Meanwhile, Mary and Ted marry and pursue their own lives apart from Joe's new dynasty. Their relationship unfolds against the shifting economy and social circles, highlighting divergent paths shaped by Joe's decisions. The narrative underscores how one man’s choices affect others.

The stock market crash of 1929 shatters Joe's carefully built fortune, exposing the fragility of his wealth and leading Elvina's comforts to collapse. His empire crumbles as mismanagement and bad bets pile up. The consequences ripple through his personal and professional life.

As his finances fail, Joe divorces Elvina and faces the betrayal of his banking employees. He confronts professional ruin and looming legal trouble that threaten to ruin him completely. The past, once a source of power, becomes a trap he cannot escape.

The consequences of his actions trigger a surreal time reversal, and Joe is pulled back to March 6, 1933. He finds himself again in the world he thought he had left behind, confronting the consequences of what he did. He sees Mary and the others anew through the lens of fate.

Desperate to alter the course of events, Joe urges Mary to run away with him, but their attempt to flee is halted when law enforcement closes in. The moment underscores the inescapable pull of time and consequence. They are apprehended by the authorities.

Joe wakes in the hospital, restored to the present moment with the memory of his visions. He expresses gratitude for the life he shares with Mary and accepts the fate that connects them. The experience leaves him with a quiet peace about ordinary life.