Barefoot and covered in blood, a terrified woman runs to a neighbor’s house for shelter. After cutting and bleaching her hair, she arrives at a bus station. The police arrive and start looking for her, but she gets on a bus and escapes. In
Southport, North Carolina, the woman, now known as Katie Feldman, gets a job as a waitress, and rents a small house on the edge of town. She befriends her neighbor, Jo, and meets Alex Wheatley, a shopkeeper who operates the local general store. He is a widowed father of two young children, Josh, who has a strained relationship with him, and Lexie. Katie soon begins a relationship with Alex, becoming a mother figure to Josh and Lexie. Meanwhile, Boston police detective Kevin Tierney prepares wanted posters for "Erin", a woman accused of
first-degree murder. Alex sees the poster in the police station and notices the picture bears a striking resemblance to Katie. Following an argument with Katie, Alex breaks up with her and she packs to move on. As Katie is about to leave town, Alex intercepts her, begging Katie not to leave and promising to keep her safe. Katie reluctantly returns his love, and decides to stay in Southport (though still apprehensive of bringing danger upon his family). Katie tells him that she fled there to escape her
abusive and
alcoholic husband. Meanwhile, Kevin is suspended for creating the false wanted posters - for crimes that were not committed - and for drinking on the job. It is revealed that on the night Katie ran away, she stabbed Kevin (her husband) with a knife when he attacked her in a drunken rage. Enraged, Kevin breaks into Katie's former neighbor's home in Boston, getting the phone number to the restaurant where Katie works. Arriving in time for the town's
Fourth of July parade, a severely intoxicated Kevin sees Katie kissing Alex. That evening, Katie has a dream that as she is standing on the docks watching the fireworks Jo comes up and tells her that "he" is here. Katie wakes up in the convenience store next to a sleeping Lexie when Kevin suddenly appears and confronts her, demanding that she go back with him. Katie refuses and tells him to leave but Kevin pulls a gun and pours gasoline all over the store, with the intent to burn it down with her inside. Fearing for Lexie’s safety (as she’s upstairs), Katie buys time by faking sympathy and agreeing to go back with him. When he lets his guard down, she pushes him into the water. A firework spark lands on the gasoline, igniting a fire that engulfs the store. Alex sees the burning store, quickly crosses the harbor by boat, and saves Lexie. Meanwhile, as Katie tries to fight off Kevin, she kills him by shooting him. After the fire, Alex recovers several letters written by his late wife Carly before she died. They were prepared ahead of time for important events such as Josh's eighteenth birthday and Lexie's wedding day. He also reconciles with Josh. Jo later tells Katie that she will be leaving Southport soon. Katie thanks her for being a good friend and Jo tells her, "You deserve this, Katie. You belong here." Alex gives Katie a letter with the words "To Her" on the envelope. It explains that he must be in love to have given her the letter and she hopes that she feels the same, wishing that she could be there with them. Enclosed with the letter is a photo of Alex's late wife. Katie realizes that her neighbor "Jo" was the ghost of Carly watching over them. ==Cast==