After years of building a life together in New York, Margaret Tate and Andrew Paxton find themselves at a crossroads in their relationship. Though once forced into engagement for legal reasons, the two have since genuinely fallen in love and are now planning a real wedding. However, Margaret’s increasing workaholic tendencies as a high-powered publisher, coupled with Andrew’s yearning to return to Alaska to reconnect with his roots, begin to put a strain on their bond. Tensions rise when Margaret is offered a dream promotion in London—an opportunity she feels she can’t pass up, even if it means moving across the ocean without Andrew.
Margaret and Andrew travel to Sitka, Alaska, once again to inform his family about their upcoming wedding. But upon arrival, they are met with unexpected resistance—not just from Andrew’s skeptical father, who still doubts Margaret’s sincerity, but from the townspeople who remember the couple’s original fake engagement. The visit becomes even more complicated when Andrew reconnects with a childhood friend, Lily, who now owns a bookstore in town. Margaret, sensing emotional distance, starts to question whether Andrew truly sees a future with her or is simply going along out of obligation.
As wedding preparations continue in Alaska, buried emotions resurface. Andrew begins to question if he’s ready to leave behind his family, community, and the life he could have in Sitka just to follow Margaret’s fast-paced world. Meanwhile, Margaret tries to prove she can be part of this life, helping around town and bonding with Andrew’s mother, Grace. But an argument explodes between Margaret and Andrew when she learns he was offered a job teaching in Sitka—something he hadn’t told her about. The couple calls off the wedding, retreating to their separate corners to reevaluate everything they’ve built.
Alone in New York, Margaret begins to reassess her choices and fears. For the first time, she acknowledges the walls she’s built since childhood, pushing people away in pursuit of success. She visits her estranged sister in Boston, seeking guidance and slowly confronting the trauma of growing up in a family that prioritized image over affection. These realizations soften her and help her begin to understand the depth of the love she’s shared with Andrew—something she’s never truly allowed herself to accept or reciprocate fully before.
Back in Sitka, Andrew continues life without Margaret, throwing himself into his new teaching position and community events. But when he finds an old manuscript Margaret had been working on—a memoir of sorts about her journey with love and vulnerability—he realizes how deeply she cares for him and how much she’s changed. He travels to New York unannounced, interrupting one of her meetings to make a grand but quiet gesture: he doesn’t ask her to move or compromise, but simply asks her to come home, wherever that may be for both of them.
The film ends with a small, heartfelt wedding by the lake in Sitka, attended by close family and friends. Margaret and Andrew exchange vows that reflect not only their love, but their mutual growth and understanding. Rather than choosing between their worlds, they choose each other—agreeing to split time between New York and Alaska and prioritize their relationship above all else. As the camera pulls away from the joyful celebration, it’s clear that this second proposal wasn’t about paperwork or appearances—it was about finding strength in vulnerability, and building a life truly together.
