Plot: In a care facility, Duke, a resident, has to get permission to read to fellow resident, Ms. Hamilton, on a daily basis, as Ms. Hamilton's health is deteriorating, she who has Alzheimer's. The story is always the same one, which he reads out of his notebook, and which she sometimes remembers that she has heard before, is captivated by but cannot remember how it turns out. It details the love affair between Noah and Allie beginning in 1940 in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, when Allie was seventeen and on the brink of her college life, most-likely at Sarah Lawrence. Their relationship was improbable because of their differing social classes and outlooks which led to their relationship being characterized by constant arguments with each other out of their passion. While Noah was a carefree and working class local who had a 40-cent/hour job at a lumber yard, Allie was from a privileged family, her mother who grew up in Seabrook Island and where they were staying only for the summer. There were many obstacles to a Noah/Allie happy ending, most specifically WWII and her parents, especially her mother, who did not approve of the relationship and did whatever she could to end it. That happy Noah/ Allie ending is not a guarantee due to these obstacles. As the story progresses and as the daily realities of present day occur, the reason why Duke feels the need to tell Ms. Hamilton the story and what he hopes she gets out of it become more and more evident.
Alternative Plot: In 1940s South Carolina, mill worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and rich girl Allie (Rachel McAdams) are desperately in love. But her parents don't approve. When Noah goes off to serve in World War II, it seems to mark the end of their love affair. In the interim, Allie becomes involved with another man (James Marsden). But when Noah returns to their small town years later, on the cusp of Allie's marriage, it soon becomes clear that their romance is anything but over.
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