Sense and Sensibility (Adaptation) recap

After their father dies, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood lose Norland to their half-brother and move with their mother to modest Barton Cottage. Elinor loves the reserved Edward Ferrars, while Marianne openly falls for the charming Willoughby. Willoughby abruptly leaves and later rejects Marianne in London to marry a wealthy woman. Colonel Brandon reveals that Willoughby also seduced and abandoned Brandon's young ward. Elinor bears her own pain silently after Lucy Steele discloses a secret engagement to Edward. When Edward's family discovers it, he accepts disinheritance rather than break his promise, and Brandon offers him a living. Marianne nearly dies after abandoning herself to grief; Willoughby admits that money and cowardice shaped his conduct. Lucy unexpectedly marries Edward's brother Robert, freeing Edward to propose to Elinor. They marry and settle at Delaford. Marianne matures, comes to love Brandon, and marries him, leaving both sisters near one another and securely partnered.

Henry Dashwood dies after asking his son John to care for his second wife and their three daughters. John initially intends substantial help, but his wife Fanny persuades him that almost nothing is required. Mrs Dashwood and her daughters must leave Norland. During their remaining months there, Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars forms a quiet attachment to Elinor, though neither makes a formal declaration. Mrs Dashwood accepts an offer of Barton Cottage from her cousin Sir John Middleton and moves the family to Devonshire. Their new circle includes Sir John, the elegant Lady Middleton, the talkative Mrs Jennings, and the grave Colonel Brandon. Brandon admires Marianne, but she considers him too old and subdued for romance.

Marianne falls while walking in bad weather and is carried home by John Willoughby. Handsome, lively, and enthusiastic about the same books and music, he rapidly becomes her constant companion. Their intimacy convinces everyone that they are informally engaged, though Elinor worries that Marianne's openness invites gossip. Willoughby takes Marianne to see his future property without proper supervision and gives her a horse she cannot afford to keep. Just as an announcement seems likely, he suddenly says that his wealthy relative is sending him to London for an indefinite period. Marianne is devastated and offers no explanation. Elinor suspects that some private obstacle, rather than a simple loss of affection, may have forced his departure.

Edward visits Barton but seems unhappy and constrained. Elinor notices a ring containing hair and hears that he has been staying with old acquaintances, the Steeles. Soon Lucy and Anne Steele arrive. Lucy privately tells Elinor that she and Edward became secretly engaged four years earlier, when he was young and living with her uncle. She displays proofs and speaks as though seeking advice, while making clear that she recognizes Elinor as a rival. Elinor is deeply hurt but accepts that Edward is bound by honor. She conceals the secret and her distress, even from Marianne. Mrs Jennings invites both sisters to stay with her in London. Marianne eagerly accepts, certain she will find Willoughby there.

In London, Marianne repeatedly writes to Willoughby but receives no answer. When they meet at a crowded party, he treats her formally and later returns her letters and keepsakes with a cold rejection. He is engaged to a wealthy woman. Marianne admits that they were never formally engaged, though his conduct encouraged her certainty. Colonel Brandon tells Elinor that Willoughby seduced and abandoned Brandon's young ward, who bore his child; his benefactor then disinherited him. The account ends Elinor's hope that Willoughby's behavior has an innocent explanation. Marianne remains consumed by grief, while Elinor must support her and continue bearing the knowledge of Lucy's engagement in silence.

Anne Steele carelessly reveals Lucy's engagement to Edward. Mrs Ferrars disinherits Edward and transfers her favor to Robert, but Edward refuses to abandon Lucy merely because keeping his promise now costs him money and status. Elinor respects his integrity despite her pain. Colonel Brandon, hearing of Edward's situation, offers him the church living at Delaford. Elinor conveys the offer, and Edward gratefully accepts; Lucy wrongly assumes Elinor helped in order to speed their marriage. Marianne finally learns about Elinor's long private suffering and is ashamed that her own grief left her blind to her sister's. The sisters leave London with the Palmers, beginning their journey back toward Barton.

At the Palmers' Cleveland estate, Marianne becomes dangerously ill after exposing herself to cold while still weakened by months of distress. Colonel Brandon brings Mrs Dashwood, and Marianne eventually recovers. Willoughby visits Elinor and admits that he loved Marianne but chose a wealthy marriage after losing his inheritance; Elinor understands him better without approving his choices. Back at Barton, Marianne resolves to live with more discipline and consideration. Edward arrives, and the family discovers that Lucy has married Robert Ferrars, not Edward. Released from his engagement, Edward proposes to Elinor. Brandon's Delaford living enables them to marry. In time Marianne's gratitude and esteem for Brandon deepen into love, and she marries him. The sisters settle near each other, each having learned to balance feeling with judgment.

Marianne survives her illness and returns to Barton determined to govern her feelings more thoughtfully. Willoughby's confession gives Elinor a fuller understanding of his weakness but does not excuse the harm he caused. Edward arrives, and a misunderstanding is resolved: Lucy Steele has married his brother Robert, not Edward. Freed from his youthful engagement, Edward proposes to Elinor and is accepted. Colonel Brandon's offer of the Delaford living gives the couple enough independence to marry, and they settle there. Over time Marianne comes to appreciate Brandon's character and returns his love; they also marry. The sisters remain close neighbors. Elinor gains the domestic happiness she had quietly hoped for, while Marianne combines her emotional warmth with better judgment. Edward is reconciled sufficiently with his mother to receive some financial help, and Robert and Lucy retain her favor through flattery.