Marcus Goldman visits Harry Quebert in Somerset and secretly discovers a hidden box with photos of Nola Kellergan.

Workers digging at Harry Quebert's property uncover human remains, and police arrest Harry on suspicion of kidnapping and murder.

Marcus arrives in Somerset to investigate Harry's arrest and receives anonymous typed notes warning him to leave town.

Marcus Goldman meets Sergeant Perry Gahalowood and the two begin an uneasy but productive investigative partnership.

Nancy Hattaway reveals that Nola had a secret involvement with wealthy businessman Elijah Stern, whose driver Luther Caleb transported her.

Marcus sneaks through Elijah Stern's estate and discovers a studio full of paintings of Nola, including a nude portrait.

Former police chief Gareth Pratt confesses to forcing Nola into sexual acts and is arrested by Perry Gahalowood.

A court releases Harry Quebert after the case against him weakens following Pratt's arrest.

Marcus and Perry discover Gareth Pratt murdered in his motel room, killed by a blow to the head.

Perry reveals to Marcus that Nola's mother died in a fire in 1969, disproving the central premise of Marcus's published book.

Marcus finds a manuscript titled The Seagulls of Somerset hidden in a gym locker, proving Harry did write his own novel.

David Kellergan admits Nola suffered from a serious psychiatric illness and that he concealed it out of fear she would be institutionalized.

Robert Quinn falsely confesses to Nola's murder to protect his daughter Jenny, but Perry exposes the confession as a lie.

Police arrest Travis Dawn and Jenny at the airport as they attempt to flee, and Travis confesses to killing Nola.

Marcus confronts Harry with proof that Luther Caleb — not Harry — wrote The Origin of Evil, the novel that made Harry famous.

Marcus Goldman's visit to Harry Quebert in Somerset triggers a chain of events when workers uncover the body of Nola Kellergan, a fifteen-year-old girl who vanished in 1975. Harry is arrested, and Marcus assumes the role of amateur detective, partnering with Sergeant Perry Gahalowood to uncover what really happened. Their investigation exposes a web of hidden relationships, leading to the arrest and murder of former police chief Gareth Pratt and the eventual release of Harry. Marcus publishes a book about the case, only to discover its central premise is wrong, forcing him back into the investigation. The truth ultimately implicates Travis Dawn and Jenny Quinn, and the final revelation strips Harry of his literary legacy by exposing that his famous novel was stolen from another man.

The headline events of the Nola Kellergan murder investigation.

Harry Quebert arrives in Somerset, rents Goose Cove from Elijah Stern, and quickly becomes a beloved local celebrity.

Harry falls deeply in love with Nola Kellergan and spends his days at Clark's diner obsessively writing her name in his notebook.

Jenny Quinn breaks into Harry's house while waiting for him and reads a piece of writing she believes is about her.

Nola attempts suicide after Harry repeatedly and coldly rejects her declarations of love.

Tamara Quinn sneaks into Harry's house during her garden party, finds his love note to Nola, and pockets it.

Tamara Quinn tells Marcus she reported Harry's love note to Chief Pratt after Nola disappeared, intending to destroy Harry.

Harry and Nola take a secret four-day trip to Martha's Vineyard, the closest they ever come to their dream of escape.

Travis Dawn beats Luther Caleb in the woods, mistakenly believing Caleb poses a romantic threat to Jenny Quinn.

Harry finishes his manuscript of The Seagulls of Somerset and quietly slips out of Somerset ahead of the planned elopement.

Marcus visits Luther Caleb's sister Sylla, who shares photographs of his tragic past and provides a sample of his handwriting.

Travis Dawn admits to Marcus and Perry that he beat and threatened Luther Caleb to drive him away from Somerset.

Elijah Stern reveals that Nola negotiated with him to pose nude for Caleb in exchange for Harry's free use of Goose Cove.

Marcus learns that Luther Caleb gave Harry his manuscript to read, and Harry published it as his own after Caleb's death.

Marcus and Perry travel to Alabama and learn that Nola set fire to her family home, killing her mother, and later underwent a traumatic exorcism.

Marcus publishes The Seagulls of Somerset under Luther Caleb's name, and the book is hailed as a masterpiece.

Before the body was ever found, a network of secret lives was already pulling Nola Kellergan toward her fate. Harry Quebert arrived in Somerset desperate to write a great novel and instead fell hopelessly in love, while Jenny Quinn and Luther Caleb each harbored their own consuming obsessions in silence. Tamara Quinn's ambitions, Travis Dawn's jealousy, and Nola's willingness to sacrifice herself to protect Harry all escalated tensions that summer until they became lethal. Marcus's investigation slowly peels back each layer, from visiting Caleb's grieving sister to uncovering the truth in Alabama, reconstructing a story of forbidden desire and fatal consequences. The pool closes with an act of restoration, as Marcus finally publishes Caleb's true masterpiece under its rightful author's name.

The hidden lives and quiet decisions that shaped the tragedy.

Harry tells Marcus he was hiding at the Sea Side Motel on the night Nola disappeared, waiting for her to elope.

Marcus burns the handwritten manuscript of The Origin of Evil in Harry's fireplace at Harry's urgent and secretive request.

Harry and Marcus bond over boxing at Burrows College, and Harry takes Marcus on as his student, reshaping his character.

Nola tells Harry she is in love with him at the Independence Day fireworks, and he drives her home while she weeps.

Harry goes to Nola's hospital bedside after her suicide attempt and kneels on the floor to beg her forgiveness.

Forensic analysis confirms the inscription found on the manuscript buried with Nola's body is not written in Harry's handwriting.

Barnaski admits he staged the theft of Marcus's private notes and leaked them to every major newspaper to generate publicity.

Harry angrily orders Marcus to leave Goose Cove and declares their friendship is over after his house is burned down.

Harry confides to Marcus that he has spent thirty-three years waiting for Nola to return, always leaving his door unlocked.

Robert Quinn secretly drugs Tamara, breaks into her restaurant safe, and burns Harry's love note to Nola to protect him.

A psychologist confirms Nola suffered from infantile psychosis and that she inflicted wounds on herself during emotional breakdowns.

Harry flees across the Canadian border after Marcus confronts him about concealing his knowledge of Nola's psychiatric illness.

Marcus learns from Elijah Stern that Caleb recognized Stern as one of the gang members who disfigured him years earlier.

Marcus reveals that Caleb secretly wrote letters to Nola while posing as Harry, and his final letter triggered Nola's devastating breakdown.

Harry and Marcus sit together for the last time and watch the recorded confessions of Travis, Jenny, and Robert.

Beneath the visible events of the investigation lies a series of pivotal moments where characters make choices that alter everything — secrets confessed, evidence burned, and truths finally spoken aloud. Marcus's mentorship under Harry begins with honest lessons about courage and craft, but as the investigation deepens, the bonds of trust are tested by betrayal, manipulation, and fear. Small revelations accumulate — a handwriting mismatch, a stolen manuscript, a thirty-three-year vigil — until the full shape of the tragedy becomes clear. The psychiatric truth about Nola reframes every relationship she had, placing the burden of guilt on every adult who failed her. The pool closes in the book's final chapter, where Marcus and Harry watch the confessions that end one friendship and begin the search for a new, freer life.