Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Wish You Were Here (2013) movie poster

Plot Summary

Wish You Were Here (2013) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2013 · 89 min · English
JustWatch #12,518 20
Directed by
Kieran Darcy-Smith
Starring
Teresa Palmer, Joel Edgerton, Antony Starr, Felicity Price

A Dublin dance hall holds the echoes of generations, quietly observing decades of love, loss, and joyful moments. Within its walls, long-hidden secrets and forgotten stories begin to resurface, revealing a captivating mystery. The film explores the lives intertwined with the hall, set against the backdrop of Ireland’s rich culture and history.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Wish You Were Here
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Wish You Were Here (2013)

Where can you watch Wish You Were Here? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon MX Player and Amazon Prime Video Free: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Wish You Were Here: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Wish You Were Here (2013) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Dave Flannery, Joel Edgerton reluctantly vacations in Cambodia with his pregnant wife Alice, Teresa Palmer, her younger sister Steph, Felicity Price and Steph's new boyfriend Jeremy, Antony Starr. What begins as a tense but ordinary trip soon spirals into a mystery that none of them are prepared to face. After a night of partying, Jeremy vanishes without a trace, and the group returns home with different pieces of what happened that night, each carrying varying degrees of knowledge and memory. As time passes, they each try to go back to their lives, but the hidden truths begin to surface, turning their vacation into a fragile puzzle they must solve together.

In the flash of memory that surfaces, Dave reveals he slept with Steph on the beach. He returns to the hotel while Alice sleeps, then heads out for a walk and encounters a man who offers to take him to a small, off-the-beaten-path bar. Dave accepts, and what unfolds inside the bar is chaotic and harrowing. He drinks, and the atmosphere shifts as the bar’s patrons harass him and push him toward a prostitution scene. He resists, growing increasingly angry and throwing all his money at the assembly of men, insisting he does not want a prostitute, though he would pay for one. The situation escalates when the men drag an 8-year-old girl from a backroom, shocking Dave into screams and disbelief. Jeremy emerges from the backroom to apologize for Dave and tries to calm the situation, but the tension thickens. The men lure the two men outside, and Dave, in a moment of defiance, threatens to call the police over child prostitution. Instead, Jeremy confides in him that these men are the Vietnamese mafia, and the truth only fans the flames of fear. A violent struggle ensues, and Jeremy is fatally stabbed. The assailants restrain Dave, locate his address, and issue a chilling warning: if he tells anyone, they will come to his house and kill his family.

Back in the present, the fallout intensifies. Alice and Dave clash as the truth continues to gnaw at them, and she seeks out Steph to confront her sister. The tension on the road home from that confrontation culminates in a car accident that lands Alice in the hospital, where she gives birth prematurely to their baby. The weight of fear, guilt, and grief presses down on everyone involved. In the end, Dave chooses to speak to the police, narrating the full, brutal truth of Jeremy’s death and the consequences that followed, hoping to bring some measure of closure to a night that changed all of them forever.

Last updated: February 24, 2026 at 14:10

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

Wish You Were Here Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Wish You Were Here (2013): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Jeremy disappear after the night of partying in Cambodia?

Jeremy doesn't actually disappear voluntarily - he is killed by the Vietnamese mafia outside the bar after the confrontation over child prostitution. The group searches for him but finds nothing, leading them to believe he simply vanished. The truth about his death only emerges later when Dave finally confesses to the police.

  • jeremy disappearance
  • cambodia
  • missing person
  • vietnamese mafia
Q2

What does Dave discover at the bar in Cambodia?

Dave is lured to a bar where he is pressured about prostitution. The situation escalates when an 8-year-old girl is dragged from a backroom, horrifying him. He learns that Jeremy is involved with the Vietnamese mafia running the operation. When Dave threatens to call police, the men reveal their true nature and kill Jeremy outside the bar.

  • dave bar
  • child prostitution
  • vietnamese mafia
  • jeremy death
Q3

Why doesn't Dave go to the police after Jeremy's death?

After Jeremy is killed, the Vietnamese mafia restrains Dave and threatens to kill his family if he tells anyone. The men specifically locate his address and warn him they will come to his house. This threat, combined with his guilt over sleeping with Steph and his fear for his pregnant wife Alice, keeps him silent for months.

  • dave police
  • family threat
  • silence
  • blackmail
  • vietnamese mafia
Q4

What causes Alice to have a car accident?

Alice crashes her car on the way home from confronting her sister Steph about what happened that night in Cambodia. The argument between the sisters over their conflicting knowledge and involvement escalates emotionally, causing Alice to be distracted and crash. She was pregnant and had to be rushed to the hospital where she gave birth prematurely.

  • alice car crash
  • premature birth
  • hospital
  • steph confrontation
Q5

Why does Dave sleep with Steph while in Cambodia?

During the trip, Dave confesses to sleeping with Steph on the beach. He had returned to the hotel where his pregnant wife Alice was asleep, then went for a walk where he encountered Steph. The infidelity adds another layer of guilt to Dave's burden and creates additional tension when the truth about that night emerges.

  • dave steph affair
  • beach
  • infidelity
  • cambodia
Q6

What warning does the Vietnamese mafia give Dave?

After Jeremy is killed, the mafia members restrain Dave and tell him they know his address. They warn him that if he tells anyone what happened, they will come to his house and kill his family. This threat of violence against his pregnant wife keeps Dave silent throughout the entire present-day timeline.

  • mafia warning
  • family threat
  • address
  • violence threat
Q7

Why does Alice confront Steph after returning home?

Alice seeks out Steph to confront her sister about what each of them knows regarding that night in Cambodia. The confrontation stems from the tension between Alice and Dave as the truth gnaws at them. Alice wants to understand what really happened and what her sister knows about Jeremy's disappearance.

  • alice steph confrontation
  • sister
  • truth
  • cambodia night
Q8

What leads Dave to finally tell the police the truth?

The weight of keeping the secret - combined with his guilt over the affair, Jeremy's death, and the threat to his family - becomes unbearable. After months of psychological strain, argument with Alice, her car accident and premature birth, Dave chooses to confess to police. He narrates the full brutal truth about Jeremy's death and the consequences that followed, seeking some measure of closure.

  • dave confession
  • police truth
  • jeremy death
  • closure
  • guilt
Q9

How does the baby survive after Alice's car accident?

Alice gives birth prematurely after her car crash on the road returning from Steph's house. She is rushed to the hospital where medical staff work to stabilize both mother and child. While the birth is traumatic and the baby is born early, the outcome appears positive enough for Dave to eventually focus on coming forward with the truth.

  • premature birth
  • baby survival
  • hospital
  • alice injury
Q10

How does Jeremy die in the bar confrontation?

Jeremy is fatally stabbed outside the bar during a violent struggle with the Vietnamese mafia. When Dave threatens to call police over the child prostitution operation, Jeremy tries to calm the situation but the confrontation turns physical. Dave is restrained while Jeremy is killed, and the attackers use this moment to threaten Dave into silence.

  • jeremy death
  • stabbing
  • bar fight
  • vietnamese mafia
Q11

Why does Dave stay silent about the mafia threat for so long?

Dave remains silent because the Vietnamese mafia threatened to kill his family if he talked. His pregnant wife Alice and unborn child were at risk. Additionally, Dave carries guilt over his affair with Steph, which complicates his willingness to be fully honest. The combination of fear for his family's safety and personal shame keeps him from coming forward until the emotional toll becomes unsustainable.

  • dave silence
  • fear
  • family safety
  • guilt
  • shame

Movie threads

More Movies Like Wish You Were Here, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Wish You Were Here tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Dark vacation thrillers like Wish You Were Here

A seemingly idyllic trip abroad descends into a nightmare of crime and cover-ups. If you liked the premise of Wish You Were Here, you'll find more movies here about vacations gone horribly wrong. These films explore the dark side of travel, where a single night abroad leads to crime, cover-ups, and a lifetime of guilt.

  • tense
  • anxious
  • guilty
  • unsettling
  • revelatory
  • claustrophobic
  • Tone: dark, tense, paranoid
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically begin with characters seeking an escape, only to have a traumatic incident—often a crime or accidental death—shatter their reality. The story then focuses on the aftermath: the frantic cover-up, the psychological strain of living with a secret, and the slow unraveling of their personal lives under the weight of guilt and fear.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread share a powerful 'what if' premise: the terrifying idea that a single misstep on holiday can destroy everything. They are united by a high-stakes tension, a descent from lightheartedness into darkness, and an exploration of survival guilt.

Family secret dramas with heavy emotional weight like Wish You Were Here

A long-buried family truth resurfaces, tearing relationships apart under the strain. Fans of Wish You Were Here looking for similar films will find more stories about families torn apart by a dark secret. These movies delve into marital strife, grief, and the heavy burden of truth, often featuring a slow, revelatory pace.

  • somber
  • mournful
  • revelatory
  • tense
  • grief-stricken
  • melancholic
  • Tone: somber, mournful, revelatory
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a central mystery or traumatic event from the past that has been concealed. The story unfolds as clues and memories gradually emerge, increasing tension within the family. The climax is the confrontation with the truth, which often leads to irreversible consequences and a bittersweet or bleak resolution.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on domestic trauma and the corrosive nature of secrets. They deliver a heavy emotional experience centered on grief, betrayal, and the difficult path toward some form of painful truth, often with a steady, deliberate pacing that mirrors the agonizing process of revelation.

If you liked this

Movies Like Wish You Were Here

Similar movies to Wish You Were Here: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Wish You Were Here (2013) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Wish You Were Here in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app