Synopsis
As told by the Narrator (Billy Crudup), in third person omniscient:
In 1864 New York City, Tarleton Rathcart and Theodore Gibbon settle their petty rivalry through a Gentlemen's Duel resulting in Theodore’s death. This initiates a generations-long, bitter blood feud between the Rathcart and Gibbon families.
Growing up, Benjamin Gibbon (Diego Boneta) often finds himself in some sort of fight because of his talent for troublemaking, and seeks to find meaning in his life, due to seemingly perpetual depression. Ben falls in love, and momentarily ceases his troublemaking ways, only for love to escape him. This causes him to return to his disruptive habits. Now 27, Ben has renounced his family’s wealth, and lives in a building he purchased with the money he did receive. He has regular communication with his parents, primarily his mother, Nancy (Nicola Correia-Damude), as his father Henry (Stuart Hughes), severely disapproves of his lifestyle.
Mary Rathcart (Alexandra Daddario), was also a troubled youth, having been expelled from every private school in town by the time she was 16. However, her parents consider her most severe indiscretion as having fallen in love with Ben. Upon their discovery, they forbid her seeing him again due to the family feud. Naturally disobedient, she continues to see Ben and they make plans to run away. When her parents find out this time, she is sent to boarding school abroad. Mary writes Ben letters, and Ben calls Mary but neither ever gets a hold of or a response from the other. It is revealed that Mary’s father, William (John Ralston), interfered with the exchanges, unbeknownst to either. Consequently, Mary stays in Paris, attending the Sorbonne, graduating years later, and now returning home.
Upon learning of Mary’s return, Ben, along with his inseparable friend Mukul (Wade Allain-Marcus), crash a party at the Rathcart estate. They are confronted by both Ben and Mary’s parents, reminding him the Rathcarts have a restraining order against him. They are threatened with police should they not leave immediately, to which they comply. As they are leaving Ben steals as many of the guests’ expensive coats as he can carry, only for he and Mukul to give them to the homeless.
Due to a whistleblower scandal brought upon by former Rathcart Corporation executive Pamela Corbett-Ragsdale (Caroline Raynaud), William hires Terrence Uberahl (Justin Chatwin), who in turn, hires Wayne McCarthy (Travis Fimmel), to kill her. William had previously hired Terrence to spy on Mary while she was abroad, but he unexpectedly fell in love with her. He uses this incident to ask William for Mary’s hand in marriage. William agrees with the caveat the whistleblower be taken care of.
Ben follows Mary to a club but runs into Wayne and his wife Barbie (Emmanuelle Chriqui), with Wayne distracting and taunting him. Ben, desperate to speak with Mary, tries to cut the conversation short but Wayne becomes aggressive and a fight breaks out. Ben awakes at h