The Finish Line

Cecelia arrives home from grocery shopping and finds Tobias dozing in an oversized chair, surrounded by junk food and an empty ice cream container, while Beau scavenges for snacks. The sight is both amusing and concerning, as she believes her absence has left him listless. She reflects on their changed dynamic: Their past involved fine dining and chess by the fire, but now he binges the show Storage Wars while eating foods he once forbade her from consuming.

Though tempted to give in to her desire, Cecelia is determined that he understand she will not tolerate being pushed away again. When Tobias wakes, he pulls her onto his lap, and they share a playful moment before she discovers he has used her emergency marijuana stash. The mood shifts when she accuses him of being bored; his hesitation confirms it. She tells him he does not have to quit his work for her, but he insists she matters more.

Their conversation escalates into an argument in the kitchen. Tobias calls her a hypocrite, suggesting she is hiding in small-town life because he broke her heart. Wounded, Cecelia refuses to engage further. He storms out for a run. That night, he pulls her into a silent, apologetic embrace she appreciates but does not acknowledge.

In a flashback, a 21-year-old Tobias camps with Tyler, Sean, and Dominic in the clearing where his parents died. Still jet-lagged from Paris and burdened by his dual existence, he confiscates Sean’s beer, reflecting on his forced absence due to Antoine’s demands. The group discusses buying a garage as a legitimate business front; Tyler recommends a mechanic named Russell. Tobias reveals that he saw Roman Horner—the man Tobias and his brothers blame for the death of their parents—that day and learns that Roman is building a mansion near their clearing, which infuriates him.

Dominic suggests assassinating Roman, but Tobias adamantly rejects the idea, insisting that their goal extends beyond revenge—they must change the system that allows exploitation. Calling personal attachments the greatest liability, he establishes a strict rule: no women involved until personally vetted,. When Sean accuses him of being absent while they care for their aunt, who has alcohol use disorder, Tobias concedes and relents. Tyler outlines their Trojan Horse strategy. Tobias designates Dominic as the Trojan horse in this plan. He tells them to leave Roman and his daughter out of their plans.

The narrative shifts to Day 11 of the present reunion. Cecelia torments Tobias with flannel pajamas while he suffers sexual frustration. A memory prompts him to masturbate, and Cecelia walks in on him. He forces her hand onto his erection, carries her to bed, and climaxes on her body. He then performs oral sex on her, demanding she acknowledge who he is to her while denying himself intercourse, saying he will wait. Afterward, Cecelia tells him to have his belongings brought to the house, warns she will kill him if he breaks her heart again, and admits they are in it together.

In a flashback, a 24-year-old Tobias reflects on needing more capital to launch Exodus and take down Roman. In Paris for a suit fitting, he sees birds flying in formation and recalls his stepfather’s failed activist group, the Frères du Corbeau (Brothers of the Raven), which aimed to fight corporate greed. In a car en route to the Longchamp racetrack, Antoine ambushes him, confronting him about secret plans. They argue tensely; Tobias asserts independence while privately acknowledging that he has been using Antoine’s organization for his own purposes. Antoine threatens him but ultimately releases him.

At the track, severely anxious about his high-stakes bet, Tobias calls Dominic and asks him to stay on the phone during the race. When his horse wins, Tobias tells Dom they have won Exodus.

The narrative shifts to Day 21 of the present timeline. While shopping for date-night supplies, Tobias complains to Sean on the phone. At the cashier’s suggestion, he buys all the flowers in the store. In the parking lot, he spots a man who has been tailing him. While arranging date night with Cecelia on the phone, he gives chase, easily capturing the man behind the store where Ravens Oz and David wait.

Tobias learns that the man was sent to report his whereabouts and has photographed Cecelia. Realizing that Palo, Antoine’s lieutenant, is likely dead and that the threat is more serious than surveillance, he knocks the man out and angrily reprimands Oz and David for their late warning. Back in his car, he feels that his brief normalcy has been stolen and knows he is running out of time but decides to proceed with date night.

At work, Cecelia reads emotional texts from an intoxicated Tobias, who is upset about something he read in The Thorn Birds. She realizes his isolation is overwhelming him. Unable to reach him, she races home and finds him running down the road wearing her pink apron, covered in flour and drunk. He is distraught about being compared to the book’s selfish character Ralph and insists he wants to give her a better story.

In the car, they argue. He confesses he avoided relationships because he knew how destructive they could be; she reminds him he cruelly discarded her. He asks if her ex-boyfriend Collin was her version of a character from the book and mentions his own past girlfriend, Alicia. Inside, he locks the door three times and explains his counting is a trauma response that worsened after he sent her away. The destroyed kitchen reveals his failed attempt to cook a romantic dinner.

Cecelia realizes his breakdown is about more than the book and asks what he is not telling her. He confesses overwhelming guilt over Dominic’s death, jealousy over her past relationships, and a belief that he does not deserve forgiveness. She calls him unforgivably selfish for how he hurt her. He agrees, saying he will endure her punishment forever just to be with her.

After he passes out, she takes him to bed and discovers roses throughout the living room and a new chessboard. In the backyard, she finds twinkling lights strung overhead like fireflies—his attempt to recreate their sacred place. Moved to tears, she whispers that their future together is possible and locks the door three times for him.

In a flashback to when Tobias is 24, Dominic picks him up from the airport in a newly restored muscle car. Tobias congratulates him on his MIT acceptance and forbids him from skipping college. When Dom asks about Antoine, Tobias shuts him down, insisting it is his problem alone.

That night Tobias, Dom, Sean, and Tyler get matching raven tattoos. Dom realizes Tobias’s design is intentionally incriminating, making him the sole target in any future investigation, and that Tobias has put all legitimate businesses in the others’ names. The three furiously confront him. Tobias refuses to back down, arguing it is necessary protection, and defuses their anger by stating his trust that they will not fail. Later, around the fire near Roman’s new mansion, Tobias vows to take him down.

The narrative returns to the present. On the morning of his 22nd day with Cecelia, Tobias wakes hungover beside Cecelia. He checks his phones and learns that new surveillance is in place. He orders aerial surveillance from Tyler.

They share a tender moment discussing the previous night’s chaos. She praises the garden lights and expresses concern that his guilt is consuming him. For the first time since his return, she initiates a passionate kiss. Their intimacy is interrupted by an approaching vehicle: her mother.

Cecelia is stunned to learn that Tobias and her mother met when he was 11: She was the pregnant woman who drove Tobias to the pharmacy and bought the supplies he needed when Dominic had chicken pox. The baby she was carrying was Cecelia. Cecelia is hurt that both Tobias and her mother have kept this secret from her.

Diane is visibly frightened in Tobias’s presence: As Roman’s wife, she was responsible for the accident that killed his parents, and she fears that he wants revenge. Tobias insists they come inside for breakfast. In the tense kitchen, Cecelia cooks while Diane sits frozen, and Timothy makes nervous small talk. When Diane asks how long they have been together, Cecelia grows hostile. She verbally threatens Tobias when he suggests she go camping with her parents, and she confronts Diane about keeping secrets from Timothy, who is revealed to be her new husband. Diane counters that she told Timothy everything after their last visit.

The argument escalates before Diane flees to smoke in the backyard. Tobias follows her out and asks for a cigarette. The conversation reveals that Diane was the anonymous benefactor who sent care packages to him and Dominic for years, making it possible for them to survive Delphine’s neglect. Tobias tells her he forgave her long ago, that they both suffer survivor’s guilt, and that she and Roman gifted him Cecelia, who is his reason for seeking self-forgiveness.

Aware that Cecelia is listening from inside the house, Tobias calls her to join them. She emerges and tearfully acknowledges her mother’s sacrifices. The two women embrace and begin reconciling as Tobias leaves them alone.

After dinner around a campfire, Diane asks about Dominic. When Cecelia reveals that he died six years ago, Tobias decides to tell them the whole truth. For hours, he and Cecelia recount their entire history, though Tobias omits his connection to Antoine. Diane asks what they will do now; Tobias says the decision is Cecelia’s.

In the bedroom, Cecelia furiously confronts Tobias, angered by the secrets he has been keeping. He argues that during their past time together, he wanted to escape work and just be himself. She retorts that his secrets are the root of their problems and demands he let her into his thoughts. He accuses her of retreating from their progress.

The argument escalates. When she prepares to put on a new pair of flannel pajamas, he warns her it is a declaration of war. She puts them on anyway. Their exchange grows more heated until she tells him to get out. Hurt, Tobias leaves the bedroom.