A Thousand Broken Pieces

The group stands in awe of the buildings and sights in Tokyo. Dylan and Travis go off on their own while Lili and Jade investigate cat cafes. Cael thinks about his individual sessions with Leo; he feels that he is making progress, but he knows that he is “behind” the group. Cael is happy that they are going to the cherry blossom festival but cannot get excited. He reflects on his last meeting with Leo, who offered to get Cael additional help after the trip. Cael struggles with the image of Cillian’s death, and he agreed to any assistance that Leo can offer. Though they are still together, Cael already misses the group and Savannah, and he feels like he is burying his emotions.

The group meets with Aika, a Japanese woman, in her studio. She hands them white plates and tells them to break them. The teens are confused, but they follow her instructions. She tells them to fix the plates, but they cannot. She brings them to another room filled with broken pottery repaired with gold and silver lacquers. Aika explains kintsugi and wabi-sabi, arts centering on how broken things can be mended and appreciated for their imperfections. The teens repair their plates, and Cael asks if any plates are too broken to be repaired. Aika says that every plate can be fixed with enough time and effort. Cael sees his anger and grief as cracks in himself, and he sees Savannah and the group as gold lacquer. Aika leaves them with kintsugi kits to take home, and Cael feels hopeful.

In Kyoto, Savannah reads another of Poppy’s entries, in which she reflects on the bittersweet blossoms before her death. She assures Savannah that she enjoyed every moment of her life, and she wants Savannah to do the same. 

The group arrives at the cherry blossom festival, and Savannah sees Poppy in every petal. Dylan asks if these blossoms are like those in Blossom Grove, and a voice answers that they cannot compare. Savannah turns to find Rune standing nearby with a camera. Savannah is shocked, but she introduces Rune to everyone in the group. Rune explains that he was photographing in South Korea and connected with Leo and Mia to surprise her. Savannah is reluctant to leave Cael’s side, but Cael goes with the group to see more of the festival.

Rune and Savannah talk alone, and Savannah tells Rune about Cael and the trip. Rune can see that Savannah is stronger, and he encourages her to help Cael, too. He reminisces about the time he spent with Poppy, telling Savannah that he talks to her every day and sees her in his dreams. Rune says that he lives for Poppy, taking pictures for her, and Savannah remembers the pictures at Poppy’s grave. Savannah says that she wants to be a pediatric oncologist for the same reason, and Rune supports her. Savannah hopes that Cael knows that she is there to support him and that his vulnerability is part of what he needs to heal and what makes her love him.

Before the group left Kyoto, Rune had dinner with everyone and spoke with Dylan privately. After their talk, Dylan seemed lighter, and Savannah reflects proudly on Rune’s progress through grief. 

At Otsuchi, a city on the coast, Leo and Mia tell the group that this is their last stop. After dinner, Savannah sits with Cael in her room, looking at the sunset. She only has one entry left in Poppy’s journal, and she asks Cael to sit with her while she reads it. The entry tells Savannah that Poppy knows she is close to the end but that she is happy to leave with the cherry blossoms. She tells Savannah that she loved every moment of her life and considers herself lucky to have had her parents, Ida, Savannah, and Rune with her until the end. She sees death as their grandmother calling her to heaven, and she knows that she will be happy and strong after she dies. She looks forward to seeing Savannah live a bright and happy life, and she encourages Savannah to enjoy herself, knowing that Poppy is with her.

Savannah cries with Cael, and Cael says that Poppy loved Savannah. Savannah makes Cael promise to tell her everything, even painful things, because they need to support each other. Cael reveals that Leo wants Cael to go into a residential program at home for extra help and that he agreed. Savannah is proud of Cael for admitting that he needs help, and they hold each other and cry.

Leo and Mia take the group to a phone booth in a garden, their last exercise on the trip. They explain that when a man lost his cousin to cancer, he built the phone booth, known as the Wind Phone, to talk to him. The phone is not connected, and following a tsunami in this region, people flocked to the phone to say their goodbyes. Leo and Mia explain that Buddhists believe in a thin line between life and death, as well as in the importance of letting loved ones go after they have died. Savannah sees how the group is arranged in a line, holding hands. Starting with Lili, each of them goes into the phone booth to say goodbye to those they lost. They each come out crying and red, but Savannah sees how the experience changed them. In the booth, Savannah tells Poppy how much she loved her, how she misses her, and that Poppy does not need to worry about her. Savannah notes that she read Poppy’s last entry the day before and that now she gets to say goodbye. Savannah leaves the booth and rejoins the group, feeling confident that she will recover.

Cael sees Savannah’s peace after she leaves the phone booth, though Leo assures him that he does not need to try if he is not ready. Cael enters the booth and picks up the phone, but he cannot speak. He collapses in tears, and Leo helps him back to the bus. In his bed at the hotel, Cael continues to cry with Savannah. 

Leo talks with Mia, who takes Savannah to dinner. Leo then tells Cael that they need to leave immediately, without Cael saying goodbye to the group. Cael rejects the idea at first, but Leo explains that seeing Savannah and trying to say goodbye would prevent Cael from leaving; Leo knows that Cael will suffer more setbacks if he does not get help after this crisis. Cael agrees and writes a goodbye note to Savannah. Cael takes out the ticket from Cillian, reading the seven words that his brother left him, and rips it to pieces. 

Cael and Leo go to the airport. On the plane, Savannah calls Cael and yells at him for betraying her, but Cael tells her that he could not have left if he told her goodbye. They agree to let Cael get the help he needs; they will meet again at Harvard in the fall.

In New York, Cael hugs his parents and apologizes for his anger throughout the past year, but they accept him and tell him not to apologize. Leo explains the residential program to Cael’s parents, and Savannah texts Cael to tell him that she loves him. He responds with “Harvard” and then leaves with his parents, determined to get better.

On the plane home, Savannah rereads Cael’s note, in which he tells her why he needs to leave and how much he loves her. When the plane lands in Georgia, she gets a text from Cael explaining his limited phone time at the retreat. Savannah is willing to spend time apart if it means that Cael can heal. 

Savannah relishes the Georgia heat when she gets off the plane, and Ida greets her with a hug. Savannah tells Ida that she is back, and their parents greet her, too. When they go home, Savannah pauses at Poppy’s room, reflecting that this was where Poppy wrote her journal for Savannah. Savannah thanks Poppy again and then sees Alton, Rune’s younger brother, next door. They wave, and Savannah feels that she has overcome her grief. Ida asks if she is okay, and Savannah says that she is.

Savannah, Ida, and their parents gather for dinner, and Ida prods Savannah about Cael. Their father jokes about Savannah picking a boy with tattoos, and Savannah explains their relationship, Cael’s situation, and why he is going for extra help. Her parents support the relationship, and Ida jokes that she wants a Rune of her own. At night, Savannah tells Poppy that she is going to Harvard.

In the final days of summer and after months of therapy, Cael enters Cillian’s room. In the room, the walls are lined with hockey memorabilia, Cillian’s jerseys, and photos of Cillian and Cael. Cael would have fallen apart after entering this room months prior, but he sees now how Cillian’s memory lives on here. Cael regrets ripping up Cillian’s ticket when he finds the other ticket pinned to Cillian’s wall. He also finds the stick he broke on the ice before the trip, repaired and resting against the wall. His father comes in and explains that he had it repaired in case Cael wanted it. His mother enters, crying, and Cael misses Savannah. Cael and his parents stay in the room awhile, reminiscing, laughing, and crying.

Cael goes to the ice rink, puts on his training clothes, and heads out on the ice. The coach told him that no one would be there, but Stephan arrives, surprised to see Cael on the ice. Cael apologizes, and Stephan tells him that he does not need to, calling him “brother.” They play a few games, and Cael wins all of them. He looks forward to completing his journey, going to Harvard, and reuniting with Savannah.

At Harvard, Savannah walks out of class with her roommate, Cara. Savannah knows that Cael is coming back from a hockey retreat today; it will be the first time they have seen each other since Japan. They have talked every day on the phone, but Savannah cannot wait to see him. She freezes when she spots Cael in a courtyard, and they run to each other and embrace. Cael calls her “Peaches,” and Savannah realizes how much she missed the nickname. They hug and say how much they missed each other until Cael sees Stephan calling for him. Savannah agrees to go to their hockey scrimmage later that day, and Cara is shocked that Savannah is dating the hockey star Cael Woods.

Savannah watches the match, barely understanding the rules of hockey but impressed by Cael’s abilities. Afterward, Savannah meets Cael by the locker room, and he introduces her to Stephan. Stephan leaves them alone, joking that he cannot bear to hear any more about Savannah.

Cael and Savannah go for a walk, and Cael gives Savannah a jacket. Cael is stunned that Savannah is really there, and he tells her about how hard therapy and separation were. Savannah says that Cael did the right thing, and they kiss, telling each other how happy they are. They reflect on the difficult path they had to follow through grief to be together. Savannah gives Cael the ticket he ripped up in Japan, which she has repaired with gold lacquer. Cael kisses her, thanking her for the ticket and all the support she has given him. They relish that they are both in college, that Cael can play hockey, and that Savannah is going to be a doctor. Savannah says that this is the start of their “forever.”

Savannah and Cara go to Cael’s first game playing for Harvard. Savannah reflects on Cael’s sadness before the game; he once expected to be playing here with his brother. The announcer says that this game is in Cillian’s honor, and Cael comes out on the ice wearing his brother’s jersey number, 33. Cael does a lap for Cillian and then goes to Savannah’s seat. He is crying, and they touch the glass separating them. Savannah mouths that she is proud of him. Harvard wins the game, and Savannah knows that Cael played for Cillian.

In the locker room, Cael sees that Cillian’s former teammates are also holding back tears. Cael feels like he played the match for Cillian and like they did as well. The coach gives Cael a puck from the match, and Cael thinks to himself that it is really for Cillian. Outside, Cael finds Savannah, and they embrace. She tells him how proud of him she is, and they kiss. Cael’s parents interrupt them, and Savannah blushes. Cael introduces them, and Cael’s parents invite Savannah over for Sunday dinner. Cael’s father says that he is proud of him, and his parents leave. Cael reflects on his anger and reluctance to go on the trip, which he now sees has improved his life in many ways.

Eight years later, Savannah and Cael take a boat out on a lake in England, reminiscing about how they met years prior. Savannah notes that Rune was killed in a missile strike while taking photos in a warzone, but she recovered quickly from her grief by reminding herself that he is in heaven with Poppy. Cael only played at Harvard for two years before entering the National Hockey League with the Bruins and joining Team USA. They see the others who went on the trip every year. Lili and Jade are each married, and Dylan and Travis are in a relationship with one another. Cael says that they can bring the group to the Lake District the next time they come. 

Savannah remembers Cael’s clothing and attitude when they first met, and she notes the broken heart tattoo that he has since repaired with gold ink. Cael gets down on one knee and tells Savannah what a difference she made in his life, asking her to marry him. Savannah says yes, and Cael confesses that he went to Georgia the week prior to ask her parents’ permission. They discuss living life to the fullest and loving each other, and Savannah looks to the sky, feeling Poppy, Rune, Cillian, and Tala in the stars. Savannah is excited about her life together with Cael.