Déjà Vu 1997

Dana and Alex's renovation plan

Dana and Alex are engaged as they begin renovating an old building into a boutique hotel. They travel to Israel to source materials, signaling the couple's shared ambition and the adventure that frames the story. This moment sets up the relationship and the journey that follows.

The butterfly pin and the stranger's tale

In a Jerusalem restaurant, an older French Jewish woman shares a poignant story of a love that couldn't last. She explains why two matching butterfly pins were made to symbolize the lovers' bond, and she gives Dana one pin as a keepsake. Dana pockets the pin, moved by the tale, and the encounter becomes the spark for her quest.

Dana's search begins in Tel Aviv

Dana travels to Tel Aviv to locate the woman and return the pin to its owner. She discovers that the stranger's hotel had been demolished years earlier, suggesting the lead is historical and fading. Her search pushes her to continue the pursuit across Europe for new clues.

Paris inquiry and a hidden lead

Dana goes to Paris to question jewelers about the pin and the woman who wore it. The maker cannot locate a purchaser and even offers to resize Dana's engagement ring, but a lurking man outside hints at a connected history. She then boards the Channel Tunnel to London, still chasing a thread of the mystery.

Dover cliffs and the brush with love

On the Dover cliffs, Dana encounters Sean, a painter whose presence and work draw her in. He offers to drive her to London and takes her to his studio, where he gives her a painting of two lovers looking at the Eiffel Tower. They share a kiss, but Dana resists moving forward and steps back.

The circle widens as Sean becomes the architect

Dana stays with an older couple, John and Fern, while Alex has arrived, expanding the circle of friends who will witness Dana's awakening. The architect for their new space turns out to be Sean, linking Dana's romantic and artistic worlds. Claire and Alex feel their own relationships pale in comparison to the creative energy around them.

Affair and the decision to pursue change

Dana and Sean begin an affair, choosing to tell their partners and pursue divorces. The affair is intensified by emotional strain when Dana's mother phones from LA to report her father’s hospitalization, forcing Dana to rush home. The events throw both marriages into turmoil and raise the stakes of their choices.

The hospital scare and wedding plans unravel

Dana and Alex rush back to Los Angeles to be with Dana's father, but the hospital finds nothing wrong. Wedding plans progress, yet Dana feels increasingly torn, realizing she may not want the life she thought she did. The looming wedding becomes a symbol of the life she might be rejecting.

Revelation of the pin and the breakup

On the wedding day, Dana's father reveals he was the American GI who loved the French shopkeeper and kept the other pin. He explains that he thought of her every week, and she was the love of his life. Shocked, Dana calls off the wedding and flies to London to be with Sean.

London reunion and Déjà vu begins

Dana travels to London, where she and Sean embrace passionately as their bond deepens. A painting in Sean's studio—depicting two lovers by the Eiffel Tower—echoes the Jerusalem legend and deepens the sense of déjà vu. Sean hints that the painting's subject may connect to his family history.

The Paris connection and the truth of love

The couple travels to Paris, the scene of Sean's painting, where Dana realizes they are the subjects of the artwork. The painting links their relationship to generations past, tying together the Jerusalem encounter and their own evolving romance. They step toward a renewed destiny together.