Variation

Hudson hears Caroline angrily talking to Gavin in the auditorium, so he goes back in with Allie. Caroline has read the program and knows that June is going to perform. She yells at all three of them, telling them that they don’t understand the severity of what they’ve done. She wouldn’t let June join ballet because when she signed the adoption papers, she signed an agreement that she would never let June take ballet. She also agreed to not let June pursue her biological parents until she turned 18. By signing her up for ballet, they jeopardized both of those agreements.

Allie tries to comfort her, saying that June’s birth parents won’t care. She accidentally reveals that Lina is June’s mother, further upsetting Caroline, who didn’t know that fact. However, Caroline points out that the biological father could now contest the adoption. Her words make Allie, Hudson, and Gavin realize how ignorant they’ve been.

The four of them take their seats as June’s performance begins. Her ability awes Caroline, while Allie and Hudson discuss what they’ve done. As Allie looks around the room, she points out how small the ballet circle is. She stops talking, realizing that she knows who June’s father is.

Allie finds Anne and pulls her into a nearby closet. Kenna and Eloise follow. Allie explains what she learned about June and her adoption. She tells them that she thinks Lina wanted June to stay out of ballet because she would immediately be recognized as a Rousseau. She thought of three reasons why Lina would want June’s identity to be kept secret: to stop Anne and Allie from becoming involved with her, to protect June’s father’s identity, and to secure her own place in the Company. The third reason bothers Allie the most, but Eloise points out that—no matter how they feel about Lina—she was still her mother’s daughter and is capable of manipulation.

Allie goes upstairs and finds Eva, who is hiding out in Lina’s room and constantly refreshing the comments on the latest video. Allie tells her that she needs to get over it and forgives Eva. She then tells Eva that she has a chance to redeem herself by helping June.

Allie, Eva, Gavin, and Hudson go to the afterparty on the Company’s rented yacht. They are told that Vasily is waiting in his office for Allie to discuss her new contract, so Allie and Eva go to his office.

Allie confronts Vasily about being June’s father. She also reveals that she knows that Eva figured it out first and confronted him with the information to get the role in Equinox. If anyone found out about the baby, Vasily would lose his stake in the Company and his reputation. She tells him that she has two envelopes: One contains NDAs from everyone who knows about June and Vasily’s parentage; the other is a form that gives up Vasily’s parental rights. If he signs the form, his secret will remain safe. Vasily agrees to Allie’s terms and signs it.

Afterward, Vasily begs Allie to take a new contract with the Company. It is more money than she has ever wanted and will secure her place as one of the best dancers in the world. However, it also involves moving to New York and leaving Hudson and June behind. She promises that she will consider it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Allie sees movement in the open door. She spots June listening in on their conversation. June turns and flees. The boat rocks, and Allie sees June fall over the edge. She dives into the ocean after her.

Allie finds June and helps her swim while they watch the yacht move past them. She sees Hudson on the back of the boat, signaling to her to hang on for five minutes. Allie assures June that Hudson is coming for them.

June asks if Vasily is her father, and Allie tells her that he is. She asks if she is just leverage to be used to get into the Company. Allie admits that Lina used her for that but promises that Allie did not do the same—she went in there to protect June. She also assures June that Lina loved her, as does everyone in her life.

Allie hears a boat behind them. Hudson pulls them both aboard, then frantically checks to make sure they are okay. When they reach the shore, an ambulance is waiting.

Later, Allie sits at home alone for the first time in months, contemplating her future. She could decline her contract and dance anywhere she wanted, but Hudson would be in Alaska. She does not want either of them to sacrifice their dreams to be together.

Hudson comes to her house and hugs her, insisting that her safety means more to him than anything else. She acknowledges how deeply she cares about him, too.

Hudson and Allie have sex in the dance studio and spend the night together in Allie’s room. The next morning, Hudson wakes Allie up and tells her that he has a meeting about his Coast Guard placement. He tells Allie that they need to talk about everything when he gets back. He also says that he chose New York as his first pick of placement.

Once Hudson is gone, the weight of what he said dawns on Allie. He is giving up his dream of going to Alaska to be with Allie in New York. She feels guilty but also overwhelmed by the thought of what her life with the Company would do to Hudson.

Allie goes to Gavin’s house to ask for his help in talking Hudson out of going to New York. However, Gavin insists that Hudson is in love with Allie and always has been. He tells her that Hudson is strong enough to make his own decisions. He also mentions that Allie never got to see how devastated Hudson was after the accident. Allie is convinced that Hudson wasn’t there that day, but Gavin remembers seeing Hudson leaving the hospital covered in her blood. Allie is confused, and Gavin realizes that she doesn’t know the truth.

Hudson goes to Allie’s house and finds her on the dock. She is distant, and he assumes that it is because of his news about New York. However, she confronts him about the accident, and Hudson finally tells her the truth. 

After the Classic, Lina gave him their family ring and told him to give it to Allie to show that Lina supported their relationship. Then, at the cove, Hudson confessed his love to Allie. She agreed that she would not take a contract with the Company but instead wait until Hudson graduated from basic training.

After leaving the cove, Hudson followed Lina and Allie back to town and saw their car go off the road. He pulled Allie out first and dragged her away. When he turned back to try to save Lina, the car exploded. Afterward, Sophie kicked him out of the hospital, insisting that she would tell Allie that Lina died because of him.

Allie is devasted by the fact that he kept the truth from her for all these years. He tries to defend himself, saying that he was afraid of what Allie would think of him if she knew he left Lina to die.

Allie tells Hudson that she can’t forgive him for not telling her the truth sooner. She partially blames herself for what happened and thanks Hudson for saving her, but she can’t see a way for them to have a relationship without trust. Hudson tries to stop her, but she breaks up with him.

Allie goes back inside and finds Eva and Anne looking at contracts. They try to get her to discuss them, but she is short and dismissive. Her sisters agree to go with Allie to talk to Sophie.

Rachel tries to stop the women from seeing their mother, but they insist that they have to. They go in and find Sophie dancing in a leotard. Allie immediately confronts her mother. Sophie tries to make Allie get into a ballet position, but Allie refuses. She angrily tells her mother that she is only allowed to give “yes” and “no” answers.

Allie asks her mother if Hudson was there the day of the accident, and she says that he was. She also admits that she threatened Hudson to stay away. Allie thinks of how she has been “tethered” to her mother all these years by “ropes”—like her guilt over Lina’s death, her desire to make her mother happy, and her need to fill Lina’s shoes—but now she feels those ropes snapping as she confronts her mother with the truth. 

Sophie tries to say that Hudson was never right for her, but Allie interrupts. She tells her mother that she is in love with Hudson and her mother’s actions ruined that. She accuses Sophie of forcing her own ballet dream onto all of them, then angrily leaves.

A doctor stops the three women in the hall, revealing that their mother is not teaching but is instead a patient at an assisted care facility. The doctor informs them that her health continues to fail. Her memory is getting worse, she is struggling to communicate, and she gets angry more and more easily. They thank the doctor for the update, then leave.

Outside, Allie admits that she does not feel any better after confronting their mother, especially with the condition she’s in. However, her sisters remind her that their mother has manipulated and lied to them their entire lives.

A few days later, Hudson goes to New York to try to talk to Allie. He watches as she comes out of her apartment with Eva, then goes to the studio. He realizes that he can’t interrupt her effort to rejoin the Company.

Back at home, Hudson packs his belongings. He thinks of how he needs to give Allie space to focus on her fall show and get back into dancing for the Company. He plans on not reaching out to her until she contacts him first.

Caroline shows up at his home with June. Hudson feels guilty about leaving, but she assures him that they will be fine. As they talk, Anne shows up at the house. She reveals that she is starting her own law firm on Cape Cod and is stepping away from the Company. Hudson feels better knowing that Anne will be around to help.

A few weeks later, on her way to class, Allie stops at Kenna’s office. Kenna has a stack of offers from studios that want Allie to perform freelance. Kenna also points out that Allie still hasn’t signed a new contract with the Company, despite preparing for the fall show. Allie admits that she “hates” being there and does not enjoy dancing anymore. 

She also can’t stop thinking about Hudson. Kenna assures her that she can dance somewhere else, and Hudson will take her back if she just talks to him.

Allie drives back to Cape Cod to see Hudson. However, when she gets to his house, she realizes that he has moved out. She goes to Caroline’s café and apologizes about what happened with June. She is sure that Caroline hates her even more, but Caroline assures her that she has forgiven her. She just wants Allie to be with Hudson and for them to be happy.

Hudson is living in Sitka, Alaska. He thinks of Allie constantly but reassures himself that he is doing the right thing by pursuing his own dream and letting her follow hers.

Hudson goes home and finds a car in his driveway that he doesn’t recognize. Allie is on the porch. She admits that she couldn’t be without him any longer, and they kiss. He then asks why she is not in New York, as Equinox opens the next day. She reveals that she decided to leave the Company. She realized the only time that she can truly be herself—and be happy—is with Hudson. However, she plans on continuing to dance, leaving Sitka for a few weeks at a time to dance for different studios as a freelance dancer.

Hudson kisses her again. He then asks how she feels about the accident and Lina’s death. Allie assures him that she was able to forgive him. The fact that she loves him outweighs any mistake he made, especially since he saved her life.

Five years later, Hudson, Allie, Gavin, Caroline, Anne, and Eva all sit at the Metropolitan Opera House to watch June perform with the Haven Cove Contemporary Dance group. Hudson and Allie stayed in Alaska for three years, then moved to Washington for Hudson’s next assignment. They got married two years ago, and Allie notes how she happily took his name, as she was “done being a Rousseau” (452).

As the performance starts, Caroline gets nervous, but Anne grabs her one hand while Allie grabs the other. They watch as June’s performance is “flawless.”