What Is Regretting You About?
The premise of Regretting You in 280 words, with nothing given away. The full story and the ending follow below.
In a sun‑kissed coastal town where everyday life hums with the rhythm of the tide, the story follows the fragile yet fierce bond between a young mother and her teenage daughter. Morgan Grant navigates the quiet pressures of parenthood while still feeling the echo of dreams left behind, and Clara stands on the brink of adulthood, yearning to carve her own creative path. Their relationship is tested by the sudden loss of Chris, whose absence leaves both women grappling with grief and the uncertainty of moving forward.
The film paints a portrait of a close‑knit community where artistic ambitions simmer beneath ordinary routines. Jonah Sullivan and Jenny Davidson, long‑time friends linked by shared history, linger in the background, their own lives subtly intertwined with Morgan’s. Meanwhile, Miller Adams arrives as a classmate with a filmmaker’s vision, offering Clara a mirror for her own aspirations of acting. As the characters drift through family gatherings, school corridors, and the town’s modest landmarks, the tone remains intimate and contemplative, blending tender humor with a lingering melancholy that feels both personal and universal.
Through a series of quiet conversations, lingering glances, and whispered hopes, the narrative explores how each generation copes with love, loss, and the weight of unspoken expectations. The atmosphere is steeped in the soft glow of late‑summer evenings, the steady hum of the ocean, and the subtle tension that comes from hidden pasts that still shape the present. By focusing on the evolving dynamics between mother and daughter, and the surrounding web of relationships, the film invites viewers to linger in the spaces where hope and doubt coexist, hinting at the choices that will shape their futures without revealing the outcomes.
What Happens in Regretting You?
The complete story of Regretting You, from the first scene to the last, in 1,028 words (about 4 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 9 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In 2007, a beachside hangout among Morgan Grant, her boyfriend Chris Grant, her sister Jenny Davidson, and Jonah Sullivan unfolds around a gas-station stop where Morgan takes a pregnancy test. Jonah, who has long harbored feelings for Morgan, watches as she confides to him that she is pregnant, while Chris and Jonah share a tight, complicated friendship. The moment sets the stage for a web of relationships that will stretch across years.
Seventeen years later, the family has grown in unexpected directions. Chris Grant and Morgan Grant are married and raise their daughter, Clara Grant, while Jenny Davidson and Jonah Sullivan have stayed together and welcomed a baby boy named Elijah. Jenny also reveals that she and Jonah are technically engaged. As the adults recount their pasts, Clara forms a budding connection with a classmate, Miller Adams, whose grandfather, Hank ‘Gramps’ Adams Sr., looms large in his life. Miller hopes to become a filmmaker, while Clara dreams of acting, and a shared curiosity about art pulls them toward one another.
Clara’s world broadens when she meets Miller after she stops by the city limits sign he and his grandfather move daily to coax a pizza delivery to their town. Clara helps reposition the sign, learns about Miller’s ambitions, and discovers they both yearn to pursue creative paths—she as an actress and he as a filmmaker. The spark deepens as Clara learns about Miller’s life at home and the bond he shares with Hank, hinting at a complicated balance between ambition and loyalty. Clara’s friend circle enlarges as she introduces the idea of college plans, and Morgan recognizes how Clara is shaping her own future as she asks her mother whether she ever sacrificed her dreams to raise a family.
The mood shifts during a family dinner for Morgan’s birthday, where the adults reminisce about Miller’s father, and Jonah vouches for Miller as a promising student. Morgan and Jonah share a private moment about the past, but she makes it clear that his time has passed. Clara, meanwhile, becomes entangled in the day-to-day drama of adolescence, including a tense social-media episode when Miller unfollows her, and Shelby’s breakup with Miller becomes a painful rumor that reaches Clara through Lexie, Lexie. The film sketches Clara’s inner life as she grapples with expectations, desire, and the pressure to choose a path that could take her away from the town that defines her.
On a day when Clara and Morgan work side by side on a vision board, Clara imagines a future in which she might attend a prestigious acting program, while Morgan reflects on how parenthood reshaped her own goals. The two share conversations about passion and purpose, and Clara begins to see how her choices might mirror or diverge from her mother’s. When Morgan’s caregiving duties intersect with Clara’s social world, the lines between mother and daughter blur in the best possible way, as they support Clara’s evolving ambitions and Lucas-like sense of responsibility toward Elijah.
Tensions rise as the family confronts the truth about the older generation’s secrets. The days grow heavier with the discovery of letters Jenny kept from Chris, letters that reveal a private side of the past and raise questions about loyalty and accountability. Morgan urges Clara to face the truth, while Jonah looks on, their shared past complicating the present. In a moment of raw emotion, Morgan confronts the affair by exposing Chris’s deception through his car, which is found in a hotel parking lot—an indication that the relationship with Jenny touched both their lives more deeply than anyone realized. Grief and anger collide as Morgan vents her fury, and Clara witnesses the fallout from a distance, still trying to understand how love, guilt, and truth intersect.
As the dust settles, Clara’s relationship with Miller moves forward in unexpected ways. They spend days together moving the city limits sign and sharing quiet moments, and Clara is drawn to Miller’s unguarded honesty about staying in their town to care for Hank rather than running toward a distant future. The two kiss for the first time, cementing a fragile but sincere connection that Morris the town’s skepticism. They also enlist Lexie to start dating Miller’s friend Efren, widening the group’s circle and weaving a broader social tapestry around Clara’s life. Meanwhile, Morgan and Jonah, once bound by history, grow closer again, sharing a moment in which a song from their youth returns and helps them confront their complicated feelings for one another.
A pivotal turn arrives when Clara uncovers more painful truths about her family’s past, including the realization that Chris and Jenny were living with an unspoken, painful secret. Clara’s confrontation with Morgan becomes a turning point as she recognizes that she cannot blame herself for the past, and Morgan gently reminds her of the enduring love they share. The two women reaffirm their bond, while Clara begins to understand the complexity of adult relationships and the impact of shared history on her own choices.
In the weeks that follow, Clara reconnects with Miller, and the pair meet again in the cinematic world of the town’s movie theater. Morgan, in a moment of rain-soaked clarity, goes to Jonah’s home and shares a quiet, intimate kiss that seals a new chapter for both of them. They burn the letters Jenny had kept, signaling a commitment to move forward with honesty and maturity. The family then gathers for Clara and Miller’s school play, celebrating Clara’s acceptance into the UNCSA acting program on a grant and watching Miller express his love in a subtle, life-affirming prom-posal that Clara accepts.
The film closes with a symbolic scene of perseverance and hope. Clara and Miller finish moving the city limits sign as close to Miller’s house as possible, a gesture that embodies their shared dream of a future built together. The moment signals a new kind of stability, one rooted in hope, forgiveness, and the belief that passion can guide them toward a brighter tomorrow. Throughout it all, the family’s resilience shines through, as Morgan and Clara, in particular, learn to navigate love, loss, and the power of choosing their own paths, even when the past hums just beneath the surface.
Regretting You Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
14 key events in the order they happen, from “Beach hangout and Morgan's pregnancy test” to “Clara's birthday party and the prom-posal”. 14 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Beach hangout and Morgan's pregnancy test
A group of high school friends hangs out by the beach. They stop at a gas station where Morgan takes a pregnancy test, setting the stage for the film's core tension. Morgan confides to Jonah the news, revealing his hidden feelings toward her as he grapples with unrequited love.
When:2007 Where:Beach and gas station
- 2
Jonah's secret love comes to light
Jonah has been secretly in love with Morgan since before. Their conversation reveals his longing even as Chris has won Morgan's affection. The dynamic hints at a painful triangle that will echo through the years.
When:2007 Where:Beach
- 3
Seventeen years later: a family life
Chris and Morgan are married with a daughter named Clara. Jenny and Jonah have stayed together and welcomed a baby, Elijah, as they discuss their engagement. The family appears stable on the surface, yet old tensions linger.
When:Present day (17 years later) Where:Home
- 4
Clara meets Miller by the city limits sign
Clara spots Miller Adams standing by the city limits sign and helps move it so a local pizza place will deliver to them. Miller shares his dream of becoming a filmmaker, and Clara reveals she wants to be an actress. The encounter sparks a mutual attraction.
When:Present day Where:City limits sign area
- 5
Morgan overhears and concerns rise
Clara brings Miller home and introduces him to Hank, Miller's grandfather. Clara tells Jenny about meeting Miller, and Morgan overhears the exchange as the conversation turns toward Shelby and relationship boundaries. Jenny warns Clara not to become the 'other woman'.
When:Present day Where:Miller's home / family home
- 6
Birthday dinner and private talk
The adults gather for Morgan's birthday dinner and reminisce about Miller. Jonah vouches for Miller, and Morgan and Jonah have a private discussion about their lingering feelings. Morgan makes it clear she sees Miller as a friend, not a rival for her husband.
When:Present day Where:Morgan's home
- 7
Vision board and Clara's goals
Clara and Morgan work on a vision board that includes Clara's goal of getting into UNCSA acting program. Clara asks if Morgan ever gave up her own dreams to raise her family, and Morgan reframes their ambitions with a shared sense of purpose.
When:Evening Where:Morgan's home
- 8
Miller unfollows Clara; Shelby breaks up
The next day Clara learns that Miller unfollowed her on Instagram, a sign of trouble. Shelby breaks up with Miller after suspecting he cheated with Clara, and Jonah offers Miller a different path by suggesting film school.
When:Present day Where:School / Miller's workplace
- 9
Accident and the hospital reveal the truth
Morgan babysits Elijah when she receives news that Chris has been in a car accident. At the hospital, doctors reveal that both Chris and Jenny have died, exposing that they were having an affair. Morgan returns home to tell Clara and a wave of grief spreads through the family.
When:Present day Where:Hospital
- 10
Funeral fallout and a rift grows
Morgan organizes a funeral for Chris; Clara confronts her mom and Miller about the secrets they kept. Clara storms out with Miller to the cemetery and ends up smoking a joint, while Morgan argues about whether to give Chris and Jenny a joint memorial.
When:Present day Where:Funeral venue / cemetery
Show the other 4 events of Regretting You Hide the last 4 events
- 11
Jonah brings Elijah and a possible paternity doubt
Jonah arrives with Elijah, claiming Chris's smile and suggesting Chris might be Elijah's father. This heightens questions of parentage and further complicates the family dynamics as Clara contemplates the future.
When:Days after Where:House
- 12
Clara and Miller kiss; Lexie starts dating Efren
Clara spends time with Miller and they resume moving the city limits sign toward his house. They share their first kiss and set the stage for a future beyond their small town; Lexie begins dating Efren, Miller's friend.
When:Day after hospital events Where:Sign location / Miller's place
- 13
Confrontation and a turning point
Clara notices Morgan and Jonah kissing, and a confrontation follows. The moment pushes Clara toward greater independence and refocuses her plans with Miller.
When:Evening Where:Morgan's home
- 14
Clara's birthday party and the prom-posal
At Clara's birthday party, Miller reveals his two-year love for Clara and proposes a prom-posal, which Clara accepts. Morgan and Clara share a moment of pride and love for each other as the family supports her.
When:Before performances Where:School play venue / party
Who Are the Main Characters in Regretting You?
9 characters, among them Chris Grant (Scott Eastwood), Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and Clara Grant (Mckenna Grace): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
-
Chris Grant (Scott Eastwood)
Played by Scott Eastwood
A devoted husband and father whose charm masks a secret affair that fractures his marriage. His sudden death in a car accident triggers a cascade of revelations and guilt for his wife and daughter. He is both loving and flawed, leaving unresolved consequences for the family.
- 💔 Affair
- 👨👩👧 Family
- 🔎 Secrets
-
Morgan Grant (Allison Williams)
Played by Allison Williams
A mother who balances pregnancy, marriage, and later widowhood after the revelations surface. She organizes the funeral and confronts the truth about the affair while trying to protect Clara. Her journey is one of resilience, accountability, and learning to speak honestly about the past.
- 💔 Grief
- 👪 Family
- 🔎 Secrets
-
Clara Grant (Mckenna Grace)
Played by Mckenna Grace
A high school student with dreams of acting who befriends Miller and becomes entangled in a web of love, secrecy, and family trauma. She helps move the city limits sign, symbolizing her role in shaping her own future. Her growth anchors the story as she balances romance with ambition and responsibility.
- 🎭 Dreams
- 💞 Love
- 🌟 Ambition
-
Jenny Davidson (Willa Fitzgerald)
Played by Willa Fitzgerald
Morgan’s sister who is involved in an ongoing relationship with Jonah. Jenny’s past affair with Chris and her untimely death catalyze the family’s reckoning with truth. Her memory haunts the living as they navigate guilt and reconciliation.
- 💔 Secret
- 👪 Family
- 🔎 Truth
-
Jonah Sullivan (Dave Franco)
Played by Dave Franco
Chris’s best friend whose quiet love for Morgan lingers beneath the surface. After the deaths, he becomes involved with Jenny and later shares a complicated, evolving role as Elijah’s father figure. His choices test loyalties and complicate family bonds.
- 💞 Love
- 🧭 Loyalty
- 🍼 Responsibility
- MA
Miller Adams (Mason Thames)
Played by Mason Thames
Clara’s young love who dreams of filmmaking. He values his grandfather Hank and fears leaving town for college. Their dynamic, including helping move the city limits sign, embodies the tension between staying close to home and pursuing a larger dream.
- 💞 Romance
- 🎬 Creativity
- 🧭 Loyalty
-
Hank Adams Sr. (Clancy Brown)
Played by Clancy Brown
Miller’s grandfather, a steady paternal figure who offers guidance and support. He anchors the family dynamics and provides a sense of history and continuity amid change. His presence underscores the theme of legacy and responsibility.
- 👪 Family
- 🗺️ Legacy
- 🫶 Support
- L(
Lexie (Sam Morelos)
Played by Sam Morelos
Clara’s best friend who shares in high school drama and social circles. She contributes to the teen友情 dynamics and supports Clara as she navigates friendships, crushes, and personal growth.
- 🎯 Friendship
- 👯 Peer Pressure
- 💬 Communication
- E(
Elijah (William Burnham Simmons)
Played by William Burnham Simmons
The baby born to Jenny and Jonah, whose presence helps unify the family and symbolize renewal. As he grows, Elijah embodies the consequences and hopes of the adults’ choices, influencing how they move forward.
- 🍼 Family
- 👶 Growth
- 🕊️ Renewal
Where and When Is Regretting You Set?
Regretting You is set in Coastal town by the beach, Winston-Salem and North Carolina (2007, 2024). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
2007, 2024
The film opens in 2007 with Morgan discovering her pregnancy and a web of hidden relationships. Seventeen years later, in 2024, the adults navigate marriage, parenthood, and the consequences of past choices. The timeline juxtaposes youth and adulthood, showing how early decisions echo through a family over time.
Where
Coastal town by the beach, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
The story unfolds in a sunlit coastal town with tight-knit neighborhoods, a beachside culture, and everyday rituals that hide bigger tensions. Key locations include a local gas station, a high school, and family homes that become stages for secrets and confrontations. Clara’s dreams connect to nearby Winston-Salem through the UNCSA acting program, highlighting a path from small-town life to larger ambitions.
- 🏖 Beach town
- 🧭 Small town
- 👪 Family dynamics
What Are the Themes of Regretting You?
5 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Family Secrets, Grief & Forgiveness and Love & Loyalty.
-
01
Family Secrets
The narrative centers on secrets that bind and divide a family and a circle of friends. Hidden affairs and buried guilt drive tension and shape trust across generations. The revelations test loyalties and force characters to face the consequences of concealed choices.
-
02
Grief & Forgiveness
The deaths of Chris and Jenny inaugurate a long arc of mourning, blame, and reconciliation. Morgan, Clara, and Jonah contend with guilt while seeking a path to forgiveness and healing. The story suggests forgiveness is possible but requires honesty, time, and accountability.
-
03
Love & Loyalty
Romantic entanglements test loyalties within the family—Morgan and Chris, Clara and Miller, and the lingering ties to Jonah. The film explores how love evolves after betrayal and how loyalty can be renegotiated without erasing responsibility. Ultimately, care for family remains a sustaining force.
-
04
Dreams vs Reality
Clara pursues acting and a future beyond the town, while Miller harbors a dream of filmmaking yet fears leaving Hank behind. The tension between leaving for opportunity and staying for loved ones drives crucial choices. The sign-moving motif irons out the conflict between dream and duty.
-
05
Coming of Age
Clara navigates adolescence into adulthood, facing romance, ambition, and family expectations. The adults confront their pasts so she can forge her own path. Growth is depicted through candid conversations, hard truths, and new responsibilities.
How Does Regretting You End?
The last act of Regretting You and what it means, in 443 words. The ending lands as happy. Big spoilers: read the plot summary first if you have not seen it.
The final act, in full
In the film’s climax the crash that kills Morgan’s husband Chris and her sister Jenny also shatters the fragile peace the family had been clinging to. When Morgan and Jonah finally locate the car’s whereabouts, they discover that Chris and Jenny had spent the morning together at a hotel – an unmistakable sign that the two had been carrying a secret affair. The revelation roars through Morgan’s grief, turning sorrow into a furious mix of betrayal and disbelief. As she watches the empty house she once shared with Chris being stripped and rebuilt, she channels that anger into a complete redesign of the home, finally exercising a freedom she never had while married.
Jonah, meanwhile, is forced to confront the fact that the boy he has been raising, Elijah, may actually be Chris’s son. The suspicion is enough for him to step back, ask Morgan to look after Elijah, and wrestle with what fatherhood truly means when the blood ties are ambiguous. When their teenage daughter Clara notices her mother’s spiraling state, she confronts Jonah, demanding that he take responsibility for his son. Jonah’s answer—he will be there for Elijah regardless of biology—solidifies his commitment to the family he has built.
The emotional wreckage pulls Morgan and Jonah closer. With both of them bearing wounds inflicted by the people they trusted most, they finally allow themselves to acknowledge the long‑standing love that has lingered beneath the surface. After a hesitant pause, Morgan admits she feels the same and the two decide to move forward together, sharing the home they are renovating and raising Elijah as their own.
Parallel to the adult drama, Clara’s storyline reaches a tentative resolution. She and Miller, who had been drifting apart over misunderstandings and the shadow of Miller’s grandfather’s illness, come to understand each other’s sacrifices. Miller’s grandfather, now financially secure, offers to fund Miller’s film studies, allowing the couple to attend the same university program—Clara in acting, Miller in film. Their bond, once strained by secrecy and hurt, is reaffirmed through a heartfelt video proposal and a promise to face the future side‑by‑side.
In the final moments the film leaves us with a sense of rebirth: Morgan, having reclaimed her own desires through interior design, walks the renovated halls of a house that no longer belongs solely to Chris’s memory. Jonah stands beside her, ready to co‑parent Elijah and nurture a new romantic chapter. Clara, buoyed by the support of her mother and Miller, prepares to step onto the stage of her own ambitions. The story closes on a note that, despite the weight of regret, the characters have chosen to build something new from the wreckage.
What Kind of Film Is Regretting You?
Bittersweet in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Bittersweet
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Happy
A steady-paced, bittersweet family drama that explores grief and healing through the evolving bond between a mother and daughter, balancing moments of tender romance and adolescent discovery with the heavy weight of past secrets.
- contemplative
- nostalgic
- hopeful
- melancholic
- tender
- resilient
- mother-daughter relationship
- grief and loss
- coming of age
- family secrets
Content notes: sudden death of a spouse, marital infidelity.
Quiz
How well do you remember Regretting You? Test yourself on the story.
