Adrian arrives at a London pub to meet Abby, stressed because his son, Otis, is missing. Adrian tries to cut the meeting short, but Abby insists her information might relate to Otis’s disappearance. She reveals she wanted to assess Adrian’s family before admitting she was with Maya on the night she died.

Adrian receives a call from Luke, who tells him Otis has been found safe. Relieved, Adrian asks Abby to tell him everything. Abby recounts finding Maya drinking alone and crying in the pub and staying to comfort her. She confirms they discussed the poison-pen emails and says she believes she knows who sent them.

In April 2011, after the holiday in Suffolk, Maya vows never to attend another family trip. Back in London, she receives another poison-pen email. Soon after, Caroline surprises Maya by asking her to babysit, acting with uncharacteristic warmth.

While at Caroline’s house, Pearl reveals that her brother, Beau, is angry and wants to know why Adrian no longer lives with them. She also shares Caroline’s belief that Adrian is addicted to love and will eventually leave Maya. When Maya asks if anyone has made negative comments about her, Pearl mentions that Luke’s ex-girlfriend, Charlotte, once criticized Maya’s hair. This leads Maya to suspect Charlotte is her anonymous tormentor.

Later that afternoon, with Pearl at skating and Beau napping, Maya pokes through Caroline’s bedroom. She realizes Adrian misrepresented his life with Caroline, making Maya feel complicit in the family’s pain. In a wardrobe, Maya finds Caroline’s wedding dress. Otis catches her holding it and asks her what she’s doing.

Later, Maya sees an open Skype chat between Otis and Cat. She reads their messages, in which they call her a “freak” and a “bitch.” Maya is devastated when she reads Cat’s message wishing she would “disappear […] forever,” to which Otis agrees.

Abby reveals to Adrian that Cat sent the poison-pen emails as a way of coping with the pain and upheaval Adrian’s divorce from Caroline caused their family. Abby tells Adrian that Maya was planning to leave him on the night she died. Abby insists Maya’s death was a drunken accident, not a death by suicide. Adrian is forced to admit to himself that he ignored a previous attempt by Maya to end their marriage.

Abby also explains that Maya and Luke had developed mutual, romantic feelings, but Maya’s plan was to leave for an independent life, not start a relationship with Luke. She wanted Adrian’s family to heal. Abby says the final straw for Maya was learning from Pearl how much she missed Adrian’s presence in the mornings. Overwhelmed, Adrian leaves the pub.

On the Underground, Adrian accepts that his actions and selfishness have led to Maya’s death. He admits that if Maya had returned home to leave him, he would have manipulated her into staying. He finally recognizes the truth in Caroline’s past criticisms of him.

Adrian calls Caroline’s house to make sure the family is awake, then rushes there. He enters the kitchen where his family is gathered, apologizes, and breaks down crying.

As Adrian weeps, his children are consumed by guilt. Luke fears his secret feelings for Maya will be revealed, and he will be blamed for her death. Otis is terrified his cruel Skype conversation with Cat will be exposed. He also recalls Luke’s ex-girlfriend, Charlotte, telling him Maya was in love with someone else.

Meanwhile, Cat is convinced Adrian knows she sent the poison-pen emails and believes she is a murderer, reflecting on how her plan to restore her family backfired so tragically. The three children wait in terror for their father to speak.

Adrian tells his family that Maya’s death was an accident that happened while she was on her way home to leave him. To protect his children, he claims that Maya did not take the anonymous emails seriously. He insists that all blame for the family’s pain and Maya’s unhappiness lies with him.

He asks each family member to write him a letter about what they need from him to begin healing. When his youngest son, Beau, wakes up, he asks if Adrian is coming home. Adrian carries the boy upstairs to bed.

The next morning, Caroline delivers the children’s letters to Adrian and asks to meet him for a drink. Luke’s letter expresses forgiveness and asks for Adrian’s friendship. Cat’s letter contains a full confession about sending the emails and a plea for forgiveness.

Pearl’s letter asks for family normalcy and for Adrian to be present, especially in the mornings. Beau’s letter contains a simple request for Adrian to come home and tickle his feet. Caroline tells Adrian that Otis is still writing his letter.

That evening, Adrian meets Caroline in a pub garden. He tells her everything he learned from Abby, including the children’s role in tormenting Maya and Maya’s feelings for Luke. He explains his destructive pattern, likening himself to a moth drawn to new light, and confesses he left Caroline because he felt inadequate.

Caroline gives Adrian Otis’s letter. In it, Otis expresses love for his father but asserts that when he grows up, he will choose one woman and stay with her. Moved, Adrian and Caroline reconnect and hold hands. Caroline asks if they should go home, and Adrian agrees.

Sometime later, Adrian takes Billie the cat to her new home with Abby and her partner, Matthew. Adrian explains he is living in the spare room at Caroline’s house while a small cottage is built for him in the garden, clarifying he must first prove himself before he and Caroline can reconcile.

Internally, Adrian acknowledges an attraction to Abby, recognizing the start of his former pattern and his desire to change. He has found his “sticking point” with his family. He entrusts Billie to Abby’s care and leaves, heading home to Caroline’s house.