Portrait of Jennie 1948

Eben meets Jennie in Central Park

In 1934, Eben Adams, an impoverished painter, meets Jennie Appleton, a girl dressed in old-fashioned clothing, in Central Park. Moved by her beauty, he sketches her from memory. This chance encounter begins a mysterious connection that seems to transcend ordinary reality.

Miss Spinney critiques Eben’s work but sees potential

Miss Spinney, an art dealer who has previously bought one of Eben's paintings, tells him his paintings lack feeling. She confides to a partner that she sees potential in his talent. The exchange foreshadows a breakthrough that will redefine his art.

Jennie ages rapidly and reappears

Jennie reappears intermittently and seems to grow older far faster than a normal child. Eben becomes deeply drawn to her and falls in love, even as the moments feel elusive and dreamlike. The haunting pattern blurs the line between memory and reality.

Clues to Jennie's past surface

Using clues from an old newspaper Jennie gave him, Eben learns that her parents were trapeze performers who died in a tragic stage accident. The discovery deepens the mystery surrounding her presence. He begins to connect the past with the present in his search for truth.

Convent teacher reveals Jennie's fate

A teacher at the convent Jennie attended reveals that Jennie lived in the past and hints at a looming tragedy. She explains that Jennie’s life intersected with events decades earlier. The revelation pushes Eben toward Land's End and the truth behind Jennie's arrival.

Jennie drowns at Land's End

The teacher's information confirms that Jennie habitually rowed to Land's End Lighthouse and drowned during a hurricane on October 5, ten years earlier. The tragedy anchors the film's supernatural mood and explains why Jennie seems to exist out of time. Eben's pursuit becomes a rescue mission across two eras.

Eben travels to the lighthouse to search for Jennie

Eben sells paintings to fund a trip to Land's End and rents a boat to search for Jennie. He faces an approaching hurricane but presses on, driven by the clues and his love for her. The perilous voyage marks a turning point in his life and art.

Jennie and Eben reunite on the island, then swept away

The two finally find each other on the lighthouse island, but a powerful wave crashes a second time. Eben attempts to save Jennie as the storm rages, yet they are swept into the sea. Jennie is carried away, leaving Eben to endure a harrowing rescue.

Eben is rescued and awakens with Miss Spinney

Eben is rescued by locals and wakes in a hospital with Miss Spinney by his bedside. The recovery marks a pivot back to his art as he processes the near-death experience. Spinney's presence grounds him and signals a new phase of his career.

Portrait of Jennie becomes Eben's defining work

A title card proclaims that the Portrait of Jennie becomes the defining piece of Eben's career. The painting infuses his previous work with a new, heightened emotional depth. Jennie's influence reshapes how Eben is remembered as an artist.

Jennie's memory fuels Eben's artistic life

Although Jennie is no longer present, her memory powers Eben's renewed creativity. The painting serves as a lasting testament to a love that transcends time. The film frames artistic identity itself as a dialogue with Jennie's presence.