In 1939, Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer leaves behind his pregnant wife to join Peter Aufschnaiter in a team attempting to summit Nanga Parbat in India (now part of Pakistan). When World War II begins in 1939, they are arrested by the British authorities for being enemy aliens, and are imprisoned in a prisoner-of-war camp in Dehradun in the Himalayan foothills, in the present-day Indian state of Uttarakhand. Harrer's wife, Ingrid, who has given birth to a son he has not seen, sends him divorce papers from Austria, by then annexed by Nazi Germany. In 1944, Harrer and Aufschnaiter escape the prison and cross into Tibet. After being initially rejected by the isolated nation, they manage to travel in disguise to the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa. They become the house guests of Tibetan diplomat Kungo Tsarong. The Tibetan senior official Ngawang Jigme also extends friendship to the two foreigners with gifts of custom-made Western suits. Aufschnaiter falls in love with the tailor, Pema Lhaki, and marries her. Harrer opts to remain single, both to focus on his new job of surveying the land and to avoid experiencing another failed relationship; much to the disappointment and dismay of his friends. In 1945, Harrer plans to return to Austria upon hearing of the war's end; but his son Rolf sends him a cold letter in which he says that he is not his father. This stops him from leaving Tibet. Soon afterwards, Harrer is invited to the Potala Palace and becomes the 14th Dalai Lama 's tutor in world geography, science, and Western culture. They end up becoming friends. Meanwhile, political relations with the new Communist government of China sour as they make plans to take control of Tibet in replacement of the former central government, now defeated and retreated to Taiwan. Ngawang Jigme leads the Tibetan army at the border town of Chamdo to halt the advancing People's Liberation Army. However, he ends up surrendering and blows up the Tibetan ammunition dump after the one-sided Battle of Chamdo. During the treaty signing, Kungo Tsarong tells Harrer that if Jigme had not destroyed the weapons supply, the Tibetan guerrillas could have held the mountain passes for months or even years; long enough to appeal to other nations for help. He also states that, for Tibetans, capitulation is like a death sentence. As the Chinese occupy Tibet, Harrer condemns Jigme for betraying his country, declaring their friendship over. Out of disgust and contempt, he further humiliates the senior official by returning the jacket that Jigme gave him as a present, a grave insult in Tibetan culture; as well as by throwing him onto the ground before storming off. Harrer tries to convince the Dalai Lama to flee, but he refuses; not wanting to abandon his people in spite of the danger. However, he encourages Harrer to return to Austria and be a father to his son. After the enthronement ceremony, in which the Dalai Lama is formally enthroned as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Harrer bids his friends farewell and returns to Austria in 1951. Harrer's wife and her new husband almost do not recognize him for how different he is. Harrer's son, Rolf, bitterly refuses to meet him at first; but Harrer leaves a music box that the Dalai Lama gave him, and this piques the boy's interest. Years later, Harrer and Rolf (now a teenager) are seen mountain-climbing together, suggesting they have mended their relationship.

In 1865, at the conclusion of the American Civil War, Richmond, Virginia is in ruins. The CSS Texas, captained by Mason Tombs is loaded with the last of the Confederacy 's gold to keep it from Union forces before disappearing. In present day Mali, there is a civil war between dictator General Kazim and the Tuareg people. In Nigeria, WHO doctors Eva Rojas and Frank Hopper investigate a disease affecting people who have been in Mali. Zakara, a corrupt Tuareg, tries to murder Eva, but she is rescued by Dirk Pitt, from the National Underwater and Marine Agency, who was diving nearby. Dirk gets a gold Confederate coin found in the Niger, a clue to the location of the long-lost Texas. He borrows his boss Sandecker's yacht to search for it. His partners Al Giordino and Rudi Gunn from NUMA accompany him. They first transport Eva and Hopper to Mali so they can continue investigating the disease, then continue up the Niger. While taking water samples, they discover red algae, which puzzles them as it is not usually found in fresh water. Kazim, with businessman Yves Massarde, try to stop the doctors from discovering the source of the disease. Kazim sends men to attack the yacht. Dirk, Al and Rudi survive, but the yacht is destroyed. Rudi leaves to get help while Dirk and Al go to rescue the doctors. Kazim's men track down the doctors and kill Hopper. Dirk and Al rescue Eva. As they are trying to leave Mali, they are captured by the Tuareg insurgents. Convincing the group that they are hunted by Kazim, their leader, Modibo, shows Eva his people dying from the disease she is following, which she determines is a waterborne toxin with no available treatment or cure. Al stumbles into a cave with a painting showing the ironclad Texas. Dirk believes that the Texas became stranded when the river dried up and the same river that carried the ship now runs underground. Following the river bed, they stumble upon Massarde's solar plant, which they discover is the source of the contamination. Meanwhile, Rudi and Sandecker have deduced that chemicals are creating the red algae and seeping slowly towards the Atlantic Ocean, where they will expand rapidly upon entering salt water and kill ocean life worldwide. Despite this, the US government is reluctant to intervene. Dirk, Al and Eva infiltrate the solar power plant on an inbound train. However, Massarde and Zakara capture them, keep Eva, and send Dirk and Al in a truck to Kazim. Dirk and Al escape in the middle of the desert and rebuild a plane wreck into a land yacht; make contact with Sandecker by telephone, they learn of the impending disaster. Dirk and Al return to the solar plant, with Modibo's help. To cover up the existence of the waste, Massarde plans to destroy it with explosives. Fearing the plant's destruction would guarantee worldwide water contamination, Al goes to remove the explosives while Dirk tries to rescue Eva. Dirk kills Zakara after a fight, but Massarde escapes via helicopter. Al successfully neutralizes the explosives. The three leave the plant in an Avions Voisin C-28 stolen from Kazim by Modibo; the general pursues them in an attack helicopter, with his army following. A series of explosions along the dry river bed reveals the wreckage of the Texas. The trio hides in the armored ship, but Kazim's helicopter uses armour-piercing ammunition. Using one of the Texas ' s cannons, they manage to destroy the helicopter, killing Kazim. Modibo arrives with Tuareg reinforcements, forcing Kazim's army to surrender. The plant is shut down, stopping the source of toxic waste. Sandecker agrees to work covertly for the US government in exchange for NUMA funding. The Texas gold is left with Modibo's people. It is implied that Massarde is poisoned by Carl, an undercover CIA agent, while Dirk and Eva start a relationship.

After catching his wife Amy having an affair with their friend Ted, mystery writer Mort Rainey retreats to his cabin in upstate New York. Six months later, Mort, depressed and suffering from writer's block, has delayed finalizing the divorce. A man named John Shooter arrives at the cabin and accuses Mort of plagiarizing his short story, "Sowing Season". Upon reading Shooter's manuscript, Mort discovers it is virtually identical to his own story, "Secret Window", except for the ending. The following day, Mort, who once plagiarized another author's story, tells Shooter that his story was published in a mystery magazine before Shooter's, invalidating his claim. Shooter demands proof and warns Mort against contacting the police. That night, Mort's dog, Chico, is found dead outside the cabin, along with a note from Shooter giving Mort three days. Mort reports the incident to Sheriff Newsome. Mort drives to his and Amy's house to retrieve a copy of the magazine, but he leaves because Ted and Amy are there. Mort hires private investigator Ken Karsch, who stakes out the cabin and speaks to Tom Greenleaf, a local resident. At the cabin, Shooter appears and demands that Mort revise the ending of his story, giving it Shooter's twist, in which the protagonist kills his wife. When a fire destroys Amy and Mort's house, and presumably the magazine, Mort tells the police that he has an enemy. Mort and Karsch agree to confront Shooter but first plan to meet up with Greenleaf at the local diner the next morning, but neither Karsch nor Greenleaf show up. On his way home, Mort encounters Ted, who demands that Mort sign the divorce papers. Believing Shooter is in Ted's employ, Mort refuses. Later, Shooter summons Mort; when he arrives, Mort finds Karsch and Greenleaf dead. Shooter tells Mort he killed the two men because they "interfered." He warns Mort that he has implicated him in their murders and implies Mort should dispose of the bodies. Mort agrees to meet Shooter at his cabin to show him the magazine containing his story, which has been sent overnight by his agent. Mort disposes of the bodies. Mort retrieves the package containing the magazine from the post office but finds that it has already been opened; the pages containing his story have been cut out. After a series of startling events, Mort realizes that Shooter is a figment of his imagination, unwittingly created to cope with his anger and carry out malevolent tasks that Mort cannot do – like killing Chico, Greenleaf, and Karsch, as well as burning down Amy's home. Amy arrives at the cabin, finding it ransacked, and she sees the word "SHOOTER" carved repeatedly on the walls and furniture. Mort appears, having been taken over by the "Shooter" persona. Amy realizes the name "Shooter" represents Mort's desire to "SHOOT HER". Mort stabs Amy in the leg. Ted arrives and is killed by Mort while Amy watches helplessly. Mort approaches her while reciting the ending of "Sowing Season". Months later, Mort has recovered from his writer's block, and his passion for life has returned. He is feared and shunned in town because of the rumors about the murders. Sheriff Newsome arrives and tells Mort that he is the prime suspect and that the bodies will eventually be found. Mort passively dismisses the threat and tells Newsome that the ending to his new story is "perfect". It is implied that Amy and Ted's bodies are buried under the corn growing in Mort's garden.

In Toronto, Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old bassist for unsuccessful indie garage band Sex Bob-Omb, dates Knives Chau, a 17-year-old high-school student, to the disapproval of his friends in the band, his younger sister Stacey, and his roommate Wallace Wells. Scott meets Ramona Flowers, an American Amazon delivery girl, at Julie Powers’ party, after having first seen her in a dream. Scott loses interest in Knives but does not break up with her immediately before pursuing Ramona. When Sex Bob-Omb plays in a battle of the bands sponsored by record executive Gideon Graves, Scott is attacked by Ramona's ex-boyfriend Matthew Patel. Sex Bob-Omb's competition is incinerated by Matthew's fireball attacks, but Scott defeats him and learns he must defeat her remaining six evil exes in order to date Ramona. Scott finally breaks up with Knives, who blames Ramona and swears to win him back by becoming more like Ramona. Scott soon encounters Ramona's second ex, actor and skateboard junkie Lucas Lee. Scott defeats Lucas by tricking him into attempting a grind on a 200-plus step icy railing and crashing explosively. The band is soon asked to open for Clash at Demonhead, whereupon Scott encounters Ramona's third ex, the super-powered vegan bassist Todd Ingram, who is dating Scott's ex, Envy Adams, the lead singer. Scott deceives Todd into drinking half and half, and Todd is confronted by the vegan police and stripped of his powers; Scott then delivers the final blow. Scott then encounters Ramona's fourth ex, bisexual ninja Roxy Richter, and with the help of Ramona, he manages to beat her. Scott's growing frustration soon boils over, and after an outburst regarding Ramona's dating history, she breaks up with him while leaving him a list of her exes. At the next battle of the bands, Sex Bob-Omb defeats Ramona's fifth and sixth exes, techno twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, earning Scott an extra life. Despite this, Ramona appears to get back with her seventh and final ex, Gideon. Sex Bob-Omb accepts Gideon's record deal, except Scott, who quits the band in protest, during which their roadie, Young Neil, becomes their new bassist. Gideon invites Scott to his venue, the Chaos Theater, where Sex Bob-Omb is playing. Resolving to win Ramona back, Scott challenges Gideon to a fight for her affection, earning the "Power of Love" sword. Knives interrupts the battle, attacking Ramona, and Scott is forced to reveal that he cheated on both of them. Gideon kills Scott, and Ramona visits him in limbo to reveal that Gideon has implanted her with a mind control device. Scott uses his 1-up to come back to life and re-enters the Chaos Theater. He makes peace with his friends and challenges Gideon, this time for himself, gaining the "Power of Self-Respect" sword. After apologizing to Ramona and Knives for cheating on them and accepting his own faults, Scott joins forces with Knives and they defeat Gideon. Now free from Gideon's control, Ramona prepares to leave. After the fight, Scott is faced by his darker version, Nega-Scott, with whom he hits it off. Knives accepts that her relationship with Scott is over and, at her encouragement, he leaves with Ramona to "try again".

Bob Munro, an executive at the large soda company Pure Vibe, struggles with the whims of his self-absorbed boss Todd Mallory. His family — materialistic wife Jamie and their teenage children, sharp-tongued Cassie and self-confident Carl — are also demanding, and he had promised them a vacation in Hawaii. During an event Todd hosted, Cassie's friend Gretchen insults Todd and stains his suit with a soda. Todd, who sought to acquire the Alpine Soda company in Boulder, Colorado, blames Bob for the incident and threatens to fire him if he does not promote the takeover. Todd's demand forces the Munros to cancel their vacation. Bob, concealing the real reason for not going to Hawaii, rents an RV and tells his family that they are traveling to the Rockies; he plans to make a detour in Colorado to secretly attend the meeting in Boulder. The trip is marked by numerous mishaps. Bob's inexperience in handling the large vehicle results in him colliding with various obstacles and damaging the parking brake. During a stopover in Nevada, he must fix an unsavory clog in the toilet tank. The family also fumigates the RV with stink bombs to drive out intrusive raccoons. During the trip, the Munros have several encounters with the Gornickes, a good-natured but exhausting family who live in their own RV, consisting of dad Travis, mobile sales rep and cosmetologist mom Mary Jo, and their three children, Earl, Moon, and Billy. As they approach Colorado, Carl tries playing basketball with some older boys, but Bob makes it awkward and embarrasses him. The two go for a walk in the woods and somehow bond over the future of Carl's heavyweight career. Later, the Munros reconnect as a family and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings. Nearing Boulder, Bob fakes an upset stomach and sends the rest of the family on a hike before meeting with the Alpine Soda owners. The meeting is promising, but on the way back, Bob gets stuck in a traffic jam, forcing him to take the RV through a treacherous four-wheel-drive trail; he returns to his family with a badly battered vehicle. Todd calls Bob and demands that he return the next day to repeat the presentation to the entire Alpine Soda staff. However, the RV's parking brake fails again and sends it rolling into a mountain lake. Bob is forced to confess the true purpose of the trip to his family, explaining that he fears losing his job and their standard of living. Taken aback, the family refuses to accompany him, leaving him to make his way to the meeting alone on a bike recovered from the RV. The Gornickes appear and pick up the Munros. Along the way, the two families bond; Bob spots them together from a distance on the road. Deciding his family is more important than his job, he catches up to them and reconciles with everyone. In return, the Gornickes drive him the rest of the way to the meeting. At the Alpine Soda headquarters, Bob begins to pitch the takeover to the staff; halfway through, he has an epiphany and encourages their independence, aware that Todd would ruin the brand. In retaliation, Todd fires Bob; Carl angrily throws to the ground and tackles him, making him a hero. Then Bob retorts that he quits anyway. On their way home in the sodden and battered RV, the Munros are stopped by a police officer on behalf of the Alpine Soda owners, who offer Bob a job overseeing their company's expansion. The RV's parking brake fails again, flattening the police car and the Alpine Soda company owners' car. During the credits, the two families are shown dancing and singing along to " Route 66 ".

Force Recon Scout Snipers Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger and his spotter Donnie Fenn provide overwatch for a black ops mission in Ethiopia. The mission is successful, but while covering the retreat of friendly forces, an enemy attack helicopter assaults their position, resulting in Fenn's death. The CIA officer supervising the operation disavows the mission and strands them in enemy territory without any backup, though Swagger survives. Three years later, a retired Swagger is approached by Colonel Isaac Johnson to seek his help in preventing a possible assassination attempt on the President during a public event. Swagger identifies Philadelphia as the best location for the act, and pinpoints likely sniper spots. Swagger joins Johnson at an overwatch position during the event, where a sniper kills Ethiopian Archbishop Desmond Mutumbo. Officer Stanley Timmons, a Philadelphia Police Department officer bribed by Johnson, shoots Swagger, who falls through a window. Swagger disarms rookie FBI Agent Nick Memphis and warns him about Timmons, before jumping into the Delaware River and escaping under a ferry. Soon, news reports are released naming Swagger as the assassin and that he used his CheyTac M200 sniper rifle to kill Mutumbo. Evading authorities, Swagger travels to Kentucky and meets Fenn's widow, Sarah, who treats his injuries. Memphis grows suspicious of the unusually rapid conclusions, exacerbated by Timmons' odd death off-duty during an alleged mugging, begins his own investigation and realizes that the assassination was conducted with a remotely controlled gun. Sarah and Swagger discreetly feed Memphis information, furthering his investigation until he catches Johnson's attention, who orders his men to kidnap and kill Memphis. In captivity, Memphis is strapped with a brace that could force him to shoot himself, while his abductors force-feed him water in order to get him to urinate the ruphylin from his system. Before they can stage Memphis' suicide, Swagger kills them, releases Memphis and requests his help bringing down Johnson. The two travel to Tennessee and meet with firearms expert Mr. Rate, who explains paper-patching can be used to confuse ballistic fingerprinting and deduces that the only other person alive capable of making such a long-range shot is the crippled Serbian sniper Mikhaylo Sczerbiak, whom Swagger has unawarely met when working for Johnson. Swagger concludes that he was used to conduct reconnaissance for the wheelchair-using Sczerbiak, who performed the actual assassination remotely. At the same time, Sarah's connection to Swagger is uncovered, and she is abducted by Payne. In Virginia, Swagger and Memphis infiltrate Sczerbiak's estate, who reveals Johnson works for U.S. Senator Charles Meachum on behalf of oil conglomerates exploiting developing nations for profit. Swagger and Fenn had unknowingly covered PMCs who massacred an entire village on the Eritrea–Ethiopia border to make way for pipelines, and were deliberately abandoned as part of the cover-up. Johnson then ordered Sczerbiak to assassinate Mutumbo, who was going to discuss the massacre during his speech, to prevent Johnson's crimes against humanity from being revealed to the public. Sczerbiak also informs Swagger about Sarah's abduction, and then commits suicide as mercenaries close in on the estate. With Sczerbiak's confession recorded, Swagger and Memphis fight their way out and escape to Montana, tip off the FBI, and arrange a private meeting with Meachum and Johnson. Johnson, Meachum, and their men arrive at the meeting point on a snowy mountaintop, with Sarah held hostage. Memphis acts as a decoy, allowing Swagger to eliminate Johnson's sharpshooters and rescue Sarah, in which Sarah guns down Payne after the hell he put her through. Meachum cryptically implies he is not the only politician involved and arrogantly tells Swagger to give up. Deducing that the proof will get them murdered as witnesses, Swagger destroys the recording as the FBI arrests him. Swagger requests a plea hearing with United States Attorney General Russert. With Memphis's assistance, Swagger reveals that his personal rifles, including the supposed murder weapon, have all had their firing pins replaced, making them unusable. Johnson's men had stolen the rifle, retrieved a previous fired practice bullet and paper-patched it for Mutumbo's assassination, and planned to frame Swagger. Swagger's name is cleared, and Memphis also provides Russert with evidence cataloging Johnson's involvement in the village massacre and other crimes, but no legal action may be taken against him as the crimes fall outside U.S. jurisdiction. Afterwards, Russert casually hints that extrajudicial measures may be necessary to address the corruption before ordering Swagger's release. Boasting impunity at a private gathering, Meachum, Johnson and their associates discuss their next operation, but Swagger attacks the villa and kills them all. He frames the dead Johnson as the assailant, and ruptures the gas line causing a gas explosion before leaving the area with Sarah.

Seventeen-year-old Joshua "Josh" McGuire, expedition bank-roller Carl and his girlfriend, Victoria "Vic", travel to the Esa'ala Cave, an underwater cave exploration site in Papua New Guinea. Josh's father, Frank, a master diver, has already established a forward base camp at a lower level inside the cave, where the team has been exploring for weeks. The team below prepares to dive into an unexplored area of the system. While exploring the entrance to the new system, Judes loses use of her air mask, forcing Frank to buddy breathe. Judes panics and tries to keep the mask on, but Frank forces the mask off of her knowing he will not have enough air to make it back to the team. As Judes drowns, Josh watches on a monitor at "forward camp" and presumes the worst of his father. Frank reveals that Judes had dived in an exhausted state since they had to retrieve the extra bailout tanks, a task Josh did not do. Meanwhile, their above-ground crew realises that a big storm is preparing to hit their location. They attempt to warn the team below, but are unsuccessful. Wanting to return to the surface, Josh climbs back with Luko, Liz, and J.D, but water begins rushing in from their exit. The storm has turned into a cyclone, causing flash floods that begin to fill the cave. As J.D. and Liz make their way up through "the elevator" (an area leading up to the main entrance of the cave), Josh is unable to leave his father and the dive team behind to their doom and turns back with Luko. They discover that Frank and the team have already evacuated their camp and are assisting Victoria as she climbs up out of the cavern. Josh leaps in to help, strapping a rope around a nearby boulder and forming a belay. Unfortunately, the boulder begins to give way. The water rushes through and forces Victoria and Josh to fall back down into the flooded base camp. Luko is injured when the boulder breaks loose, sealing the shaft and throwing him back down into the cavern. He is swept into an underwater tunnel. The team decides to use the unexplored tunnel as an escape route from the flooding cavern. Before the team can leave, a severely injured and mutilated Luko surfaces. Seeing that his friend is in pain and near death, Frank mercifully drowns him. The team makes it through to the other side of the system. Having refused to wear Judes' old wetsuit, Victoria suffers from the cold water. Meanwhile, George—an experienced, veteran diver—has become ill due to the dive and is dying, unbeknownst to the rest of the team. The team continues through the system, following the flow of water out toward the sea. George realises that he cannot continue and hides himself so as not to burden the rest of the team. The team arrives at a seemingly dead end. A hole in the bottom of the cave separates them from the other side of their path. Josh fishes a line across and begins to transfer their gear and each other. As Victoria begins to make her way across she catches her hair in her rope gear; she loses her grip, leaving her hair the only thing holding her weight. Using her knife, she attempts to cut away the hair, but severs her rope and falls to her death. At the sight of Victoria's death, Carl becomes emotionally unstable. In a fit of panic, he steals the last remaining rebreather and disappears into the tunnel. Josh and Frank find another way out through a crevasse in the cavern. The tunnel leads them to a sunlit cavern where an unidentified WWII Japanese tank collapsed through the surface years ago. Unfortunately, the hole in the roof where the tank fell is the only opening and they are unable to climb out. They spend the rest of the day there and proceed back into the cave by night. They discover Carl, whose state of mind has worsened, having found Victoria's corpse. Carl attempts to murder Frank for Victoria's death but Josh separates the two. Frank has been gravely injured, having fallen on a stalagmite that punctured his back. When Carl wakes, he realizes the gravity of his actions and solemnly disappears into the tunnel. In pain, Frank requests that Josh drown him. Josh reluctantly does so, and swims into the tunnel. He encounters Carl, who has already drowned looking for the exit. Just as he begins to lose hope, Josh discovers a way out through the cave to open ocean. He emerges from the water and crawls onto the beach, where he is discovered by fishermen.

A few years after the events of the television series, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big are in a committed relationship and preparing to move in together. They find an expensive penthouse in New York City, which Big buys for them both to live in. Concerned about her lack of legal rights if they separate, Carrie considers selling her apartment to contribute financially. Big proposes marriage, and Carrie accepts. Carrie is invited by Vogue editor Enid to be featured in the magazine's bridal couture "Age Issue". She models several designer gowns and is especially drawn to a Vivienne Westwood dress, which is later gifted to her by the designer. The attention surrounding the dress leads Carrie to deviate from her original plan of a small, intimate wedding to a large, elaborate extravaganza. The scale of the event begins to cause anxiety for Big, who has been divorced twice. Miranda Hobbes is struggling in her marriage to Steve. Their intimacy has declined due to work and parenting responsibilities. Steve admits to having an affair, and Miranda decides to leave him. At Carrie and Big's rehearsal dinner, Steve attempts to reconcile with Miranda, but still hurt and upset by his betrayal, she bitterly tells Big that marriage ruins everything. On the day of the wedding, Big experiences doubts and calls Carrie to cancel. Carrie, heartbroken, leaves the venue. When Big tries to speak to her outside, she hits him with her bouquet. Miranda admits to Charlotte York that she may have upset Big, but Charlotte dissuades her from telling Carrie, as Big has always had doubts about marriage. Carrie travels to Mexico with Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha Jones on what was meant to be her honeymoon to recover from her heartbreak. Upon returning to New York, Carrie hires an assistant, Louise, to help her reorganize her life. Louise eventually reconciles with her ex-boyfriend and moves back to St. Louis to marry him. Charlotte, who previously faced fertility challenges, learns that she is pregnant. Miranda confesses to Carrie that she made a discouraging remark about marriage to Big the night before the wedding. Carrie is angered and blames her for influencing Big's decision. Miranda later apologizes, and Carrie forgives her. Carrie encourages her to consider forgiving Steve, and the couple attends counseling and reconciles. Samantha is living in Los Angeles with Smith, whose acting career is thriving. She becomes increasingly dissatisfied with the dwindling sex in their relationship, especially as she finds herself attracted to her neighbour, Dante. Rather than cheat on Smith, who supported her through her battle with breast cancer, she turns to comfort eating. Eventually, recognizing her unhappiness, she breaks up with Smith and moves back to New York. A heavily pregnant Charlotte runs into Big at a restaurant, and the encounter causes her water to break. Big takes her to the hospital and waits nearby in hopes of speaking with Carrie. Harry informs Carrie that Big had sent her numerous emails, which she discovers were stored by Louise. The messages include famous love letters and an original note apologizing and expressing his love. Carrie goes to the penthouse to retrieve a pair of shoes and finds Big there. They reconcile and get married at New York City Hall in the simple original dress suit she had intended to wear before being gifted the Westwood gown. Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha arrive to celebrate with them, having been invited by Big. The four friends later raise a toast to Samantha's 50th birthday and the years ahead.

In London, mob boss Lenny Cole rules the ever-growing real estate business, using a corrupt councillor for bureaucratic fixing, and his right-hand man Archy for the dirty side of things. A billionaire Russian businessman, Uri Omovich, plans a fixed land deal, and London's crooks all seem to want a piece of it — particularly Uri's underhanded accountant Stella, and a gang called "The Wild Bunch" led by small-time crook "One-Two", his partner "Mumbles", and their driver "Handsome Bob". Uri agrees to Lenny's price of €7,000,000 for bribing the council, and as a sign of trust, lends him his "lucky painting". Yet when Uri arranges for Stella to move the funds, she double-crosses him and hires the Wild Bunch to steal the money. Additionally, Lenny's estranged and drug-addicted stepson Johnny Quid steals the painting from Lenny's office after faking his own death. Lenny and Archy then coerce Johnny's former talent managers Mickey and Roman into tracking down Johnny. In a subplot, Handsome Bob gets close to Stella's gay husband, a lawyer who has information on a longtime unknown informant in their criminal circle, and asks One-Two for a single dance before Bob goes to prison after the informant exposed him. Uri tasks Stella once more with covertly siphoning the necessary payoff from his holdings, despite his growing suspicion of her. Yet when his moneymen are once again robbed by the Wild Bunch, his assistant Victor convinces him that Lenny is likely to be behind the robberies, and is also purposely keeping Uri's lucky painting from him. Uri and Victor then invite Lenny to a private golf game, where Victor beats him with a golf club, finishing by breaking Lenny's leg as a warning to return his painting. Wild Bunch friend Cookie happens to buy the painting from a couple of crackheads who stole it from Johnny's hideout. Cookie then gives the painting to One-Two, who in turn offers it to Stella as a token of appreciation after a sexual encounter. After Stella leaves his flat, One-Two is surprised by Uri's henchmen but is rescued, and subsequently kidnapped, by Archy and his goons, who had come looking for Uri's money. Uri wants to marry Stella, whom he has long admired. He goes to Stella's house to propose, but he then spots the painting. Stella lies and says she has had it for years. Uri, enraged by Stella's betrayal, orders Victor to kill her. Archy brings Johnny, Roman, Mickey and the Wild Bunch to Lenny's warehouse where Lenny orders Johnny and the Wild Bunch executed. Handsome Bob offers the legal documents concerning the informant in his pocket to Archy. Archy recognizes the pseudonym used on documents, "Sidney Shaw", as belonging to Lenny. Lenny had arranged with the police to routinely lock up many criminal associates (including Archy) for years at a time to ensure his own freedom and while also enhancing his own standing in the criminal underworld. Archy orders Lenny's men to free the Wild Bunch and has Lenny drowned and fed to crayfish. In the elevator, Johnny explains to Roman and Mickey that they will also be killed to leave no witnesses, and graphically explains the manner of their executions. His description unnerves the man tasked to execute the trio, prompting him to act prematurely. Having already anticipated this move, Johnny warns Mickey and Roman to intervene and kill their would-be executioner. Johnny shoots two more men waiting at the top of the elevator and with help from the Wild Bunch, they escape the last of Archy's men. Later, Archy picks up Johnny from rehab and gives him Uri's lucky painting as a welcome home present, remarking that obtaining the painting "cost a very wealthy Russian an arm and a leg". Johnny proclaims that, with his new-found freedom from addiction and his stepfather, he will do what he could not do before: "become a real RocknRolla". In a post-credit scene, One-Two accedes to Handsome Bob's request to dance with him.

After eight months' treatment in a mental health facility for bipolar disorder, Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr. is released into the care of his parents, Patrizio Sr. and Dolores, at his childhood home in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. His primary focus is to reconcile with his ex-wife, Nikki. She has moved away and obtained a restraining order against him after he found her in the shower with another man and badly beat him. Pat's therapist, Cliff Patel, tries to convince him to keep taking his medication because a repeat of his violent outbursts might send him back to the clinic. Pat tells him that he has a new outlook on life: He attempts to see the good, or silver lining, in all that he experiences. Meanwhile, Pat experiences a series of anxiety attacks. Pat attends dinner at his best friend Ronnie's house, where Ronnie's sister-in-law, Tiffany Maxwell, a widow with an unnamed disorder, is also a guest. They connect, talking about different psychiatric medications they have taken to manage their mental illnesses. She tries to offer him casual sex, but Pat is focused on getting Nikki back. Trying to get closer to him, Tiffany offers to deliver a letter to Nikki if, in return, he partners with her in an upcoming dance competition. Convinced that helping Tiffany will show Nikki he has changed and has developed sensitivity to others, Pat agrees. Pat and Tiffany start practicing over the following weeks. Hoping to open a restaurant, Patrizio Sr. has resorted to illegal bookmaking. Having bet most of his money on a Philadelphia Eagles game, Patrizio asks Pat to attend for good luck, irrationally believing Pat's attention to the game affects its outcome. Pat points out this is OCD ideation but appeases his father. Pat asks Tiffany for time off from practice to attend the game. She gives him a typed reply from Nikki, which cautiously hints they may be able to reconcile. Before entering the stadium, Pat and his brother Jake get into a fight with racist fans and are arrested. The Eagles lose the game, and Patrizio is furious. When Patrizio claims that the Eagles lost because of Tiffany's newfound involvement in Pat's life, she refutes his allegations by pointing out that Philadelphia sports teams had done better whenever she and Pat were together. Convinced, Patrizio makes a parlay with his friend Randy: If the Eagles win their week 16 game against the Dallas Cowboys and Tiffany and Pat score five out of ten in their dance competition, he will win back double the money he lost on the first bet. Pat is reluctant, but Tiffany, Dolores, and Patrizio conspire to persuade him to dance in the competition, telling him Nikki will be there. Noticing that the letter from Nikki includes the phrase "If it's me reading the signs...", frequently used by Tiffany, he realizes that Tiffany fabricated the letter. Tiffany, Pat, and their friends and family arrive at the competition on the night of the football game. Tiffany despairs when she sees Nikki in the audience, invited by Ronnie and his wife Veronica. They want Nikki to lift her restraining order on Pat, giving them the chance to reconcile. Tiffany starts to drink heavily at the bar. Pat finds Tiffany moments before their turn and drags her onto the dance floor. They begin their routine as the Eagles defeat the Cowboys. After their set, Tiffany and Pat receive an average score of exactly 5.0 points amid cheers from friends and family and confused looks from the crowd. Pat approaches Nikki and whispers into her ear. Seeing this, Tiffany runs off. Pat Sr. tells his son that unlike Nikki, Tiffany really loves him, and he should not let her go, as it would haunt him for the rest of his life. Pat catches Tiffany and hands her a letter in which he admits to knowing she forged the letter earlier. He confesses that he loved her from the moment they became acquainted, but that it took him a long time to realize and accept it. They share a kiss. Patrizio opens a restaurant with the money he has won, and Pat and Tiffany begin a relationship, no longer wearing their wedding rings.

Calvin Weir-Fields is a novelist who found incredible success at an early age, but struggles to form relationships and to write his next book. His therapist tasks him to write about someone who likes his dog, Scotty. After a dream in which he meets a woman, Calvin is inspired to write about her, admitting that he is falling in love with his character, "Ruby Sparks". Calvin discovers a woman's belongings throughout his house, to the surprise of his brother Harry and sister-in-law Susie. Harry criticizes Calvin's writing about Ruby as overly idealized and unrealistic, but Calvin writes a passage about Ruby falling in love with him before falling asleep at his typewriter. The next day, Calvin is stunned to find Ruby in his kitchen, a living person, who believes they are dating. He calls Harry, who does not believe him and advises him to find someone to confirm she is not real. Ruby insists on coming along as Calvin meets with Mabel, a fan of his book who gave him her number. Believing Calvin is cheating on her, Ruby confronts them, proving she is not a figment of his imagination. Calvin throws himself into their relationship, with Ruby unaware that he wrote her into existence. He introduces her to an incredulous Harry, demonstrating that his writing directly affects her, and asks Harry not to tell anyone of Ruby's origins, declaring that he will never write about her again. Months later, Calvin reluctantly takes Ruby to meet his free-spirited mother Gertrude and her boyfriend Mort. While the outgoing Ruby enjoys herself, the introverted Calvin grows jealous of her time with other people, and her happiness fades with his increased gloominess. Returning home, their relationship becomes tense and a depressed Ruby explains how lonely she is, suggesting they spend less time together. Fearful of Ruby's desertion, Calvin writes that she is miserable without him and she returns, now incredibly clingy. Tiring of this, he writes that she is constantly happy, but he becomes morose, knowing her happiness is artificial. Confiding in Harry, Calvin tries to write Ruby back to her original self, but his wording leaves her confused. They argue once more, and he attempts to cheer her up by taking her to a party hosted by his mentor, author Langdon Tharp. Leaving Ruby on her own, Calvin runs into his ex-girlfriend Lila, also a novelist, who accuses him of being uninterested in anyone outside of himself; Calvin deflects the blame and they part ways bitterly. Meanwhile, Langdon flirts with Ruby, eventually convincing her to join him in the pool in her underwear. A furious Calvin catches them in the act. A fight ensues upon arriving home, with Ruby declaring that Calvin cannot control her. As she prepares to leave him, Calvin reveals that she is a product of his imagination and that he can make her do anything he writes. Ruby dismisses this until Calvin forces her to perform increasingly frenzied and humiliating acts as he writes on his typewriter. Afterward, Ruby locks herself away from Calvin. Ashamed of his actions, Calvin writes a final page stating that as soon as Ruby leaves the house, she is free and no longer his creation and subject to his will. He leaves the manuscript for her to read, including a note that says he loves her. The next morning, Calvin finds the note and Ruby gone. Time passes and Calvin, miserable without Ruby, is unable to find the drive to write again. Harry suggests he write a new book about his experiences with Ruby. The novel, The Girlfriend, is a success, with the story moving several readers, including his family and therapist. While walking Scotty in the park, Calvin encounters a woman who resembles Ruby, reading his new book. When she notes that Calvin seems familiar, he responds by showing her his author's photo. The woman suggests that they start over, urging him not to tell her how the book ends. Calvin promises not to, and smiles.

Darius Britt is an intelligent but disillusioned graduate of the University of Washington who lives at home in Seattle with her widower father and works as an intern at Seattle Magazine. One of the magazine's writers, Jeff Schwensen, proposes to investigate a newspaper classified ad that reads: WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke...You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before. Jeff's boss Bridget approves of his story idea and Jeff selects his team: Darius and Arnau, a studious UW student interning at the magazine to diversify his résumé for medical school applications. They travel to the seaside community of Ocean View to find and profile the person who wrote the ad. Jeff's ulterior motive for this out-of-town assignment is to track down his long-lost love interest who lives in town. Darius discovers the ad was placed by Kenneth Calloway, a stock clerk at a local grocery store. Jeff's attempt to approach Kenneth alienates him, so Jeff orders Darius to make contact. Darius's disaffected attitude serves her well, and she quickly endears herself to Kenneth as she poses as a candidate to accompany him on his mission. While Kenneth is paranoid and believes secret agents are tracking his every move, Darius gains his trust as she participates in a series of training exercises in the woods around his house and she begins to develop feelings for him. She tells Kenneth about losing her mother when she was young and says that her mission is to prevent her mother's death. Kenneth says that his mission is to go back to 2001 and prevent the death of his former girlfriend, Belinda, who was killed when someone drove a car into her house. Meanwhile, Jeff tracks down Liz, a fling from his teenage years. Although she is not as attractive as he had recalled, they reconnect and sleep together. He asks her to come back with him to Seattle, but she believes this is just another fling for him, so she refuses. Upset by her rejection, Jeff takes Arnau out on the town and they pick up some young women. Jeff tells Arnau to not waste his youth and convinces him to spend the night with one of the women. The next morning, Jeff receives a phone call from Bridget, who has been following up the team's notes on the story. She informs Jeff that Belinda is still alive and lives an hour away from where they are. During an interview, Darius learns that Belinda was only friends with Kenneth, and that Kenneth was actually the one who had driven into her then-boyfriend's house, and that nevertheless no one had been injured. After the interview, Darius is questioned by two government agents who have been following Kenneth and believe that he may be a spy because of his communication with government scientists. They know Kenneth has been breaking into labs and stealing equipment. Darius returns to Kenneth's house to confront him, but Kenneth rationalizes that the reason Belinda is now alive is that his time travel mission succeeded. Jeff runs in to warn them that the government agents are also on the property. Kenneth panics and runs into the woods. Darius follows Kenneth, who has boarded his time machine, which has been integrated into a small boat on the lake. Darius apologizes for lying to Kenneth, tells him that everything else they shared was real, and joins him on the boat. Kenneth tells Darius that his mission is now only to go back for her. Jeff, Arnau, and the agents watch as Kenneth and Darius activate the time machine and vanish. A filmed interview, presumably from earlier, shows Kenneth explaining why he chose to enlist a partner for his time travels.