Clayton Hammond is doing a reading of his new book,
The Words. He begins reading the book, which centers on the fictional character Rory Jansen, an aspiring writer who lives in
NYC with his girlfriend, Dora. Rory borrows some money from his father, gets a job as a mail supervisor at a literary agency, and attempts to sell his first novel, which is repeatedly rejected by publishers. After living together for some time, Rory and Dora marry and, during their honeymoon in
Paris, Dora buys Rory an old briefcase he was admiring in an antiques store. Returning to America and having his book rejected again, Rory finds an old but masterfully written manuscript in the briefcase with a central character named Jack. Rory types the manuscript into his laptop to know what it feels like to write something truly great, even if it's only pretend. Later, while using the laptop, Dora happens upon the novel and reads it. She mistakenly assumes that Rory wrote it and
convinces him to give it to a publisher at work, Joseph Cutler. After a few months, Cutler finally reads it and offers Rory a contract, which he accepts. The book is a hit, and Rory becomes famous. At this point, Hammond takes a break from the reading and goes backstage, where he is introduced by his agent to Daniella, a student and amateur writer who wants to interview him. She notes that he is separated from his wife, although he still wears a wedding ring. Hammond agrees to meet her after the ceremony and returns to the stage, where he continues the reading. The second part details Rory's encounter with an old man in
Central Park, who reveals himself as the true author of the manuscript, based on his life in Paris. When he was a young man and stationed in
France with the U.S. Army in the final days of
World War II, he fell in love with Celia, a French waitress. They eventually married and had a daughter, who died in infancy shortly after. Unable to cope with the loss, Celia left him and moved to her parents' home in the country. He then used his pain as inspiration to write the manuscript, which he took to Celia during his visit. She found the story so moving, she returned to him. However, she unintentionally left the manuscript in a briefcase on the train after her trip back to Paris, losing it. Because of this, their reconciliation was short-lived, and they divorced soon afterwards. The public reading ends, and Hammond tells his fans they must buy the book to learn how it ends. Daniella then accompanies Hammond back to his apartment, where she pressures him into telling her the ending. Hammond explains that Rory tells the truth about the story's creation, first to his wife and then to Cutler. He also tells him he wants to credit the old man as the true author. Cutler angrily advises against this, as it would severely damage both their reputations, and instead recommends giving the old man a share of the book's profits. Rory then seeks out the old man to pay him, only to find him working in a plant nursery. He refuses the money, then tells about seeing Celia once more. Years after his divorce, while riding the train to work, he spotted her with a new husband and a young son at a train station. The old man points out that people always move on from their mistakes, and Rory will too. Daniella continues to pressure Hammond for more details. He reveals that the old man died not long after Rory's second meeting with him, along with the secret of the manuscript's true author. Daniella deduces that
The Words is actually an autobiographical book, with Rory as Hammond's surrogate. She kisses him, reassuring him that people move on from their mistakes, but he pulls away, telling her that there is a fine line between life and fiction. The film flashes back to Rory and Dora in their kitchen, as Rory whispers "I'm sorry" in her ear. == Cast ==