Sorry, Baby

Agnes Ward is a graduate student in English at Fairport, a liberal arts college in rural Belfast, Maine. She lives with her best friend and fellow graduate student Lydie. Agnes and Lydie are part of a doctoral study group led by professor Preston Decker alongside Natasha, Logan, and Devin. Decker provides Agnes with effusive praise for her draft thesis and shows her his first edition copy of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse; Decker's praise of Agnes inspires bitterness from Natasha. Decker invites Agnes to his home to discuss further notes on her thesis. She leaves in the middle of the night in a traumatized state. At home, she confides in Lydie that Decker raped her, and Lydie consoles her. The next day, they learn that Decker has resigned from his position. Agnes attempts to report the assault, and though Fairport's disciplinary team offer their condolences, they explain that they can neither investigate nor punish Decker as he is no longer under the college's employ. Agnes takes in a stray kitten that she names Olga. One night, she obtains lighter fluid from her neighbor Gavin. She contemplates using it to set Decker's office on fire, which Lydie offers to do herself, but she reconsiders. She admits that she does not want to press charges, as Decker co-parents a child with his ex-wife. A year later, Agnes is called for jury duty. During voir dire, Agnes admits that she is unsure if she can be impartial due to her experience being assaulted, and that she did not want Decker to go to prison, believing it would not do anything to make him a better person. She is dismissed from jury duty as a result. Three years after the assault, Agnes has begun a sexual relationship with Gavin. She is offered a full-time teaching position at Fairport, which she accepts proudly, and is given Decker's former office. While teaching Lolita to her students, Agnes is visited by Natasha. Jealous that Agnes was offered the full-time position over her, Natasha brusquely reveals to Agnes that she had consensual sex with Decker while she was his student. While driving, Agnes suffers a panic attack and pulls into the parking lot of a sandwich shop. The shop's sympathetic owner, Pete, calms her down and gives her a free sandwich, leading to a friendly conversation. Later, Agnes invites Gavin to her house for sex and they tenderly share a bath together. Gavin expresses interest in a deeper commitment with Agnes, but she appears hesitant to reciprocate. The next year, Lydie, who has graduated and moved to New York City and met her spouse Fran, returns to Belfast to stay with Agnes for several days. Lydie tells Agnes that she and Fran are expecting a baby. Concerned for Agnes's well-being, Lydie implores her not to end her life by suicide. Lydie and Agnes continue to have a supportive and strong bond; Agnes asks Lydie to visit again soon. Lydie gives birth to a daughter, Jane. Lydie and Fran visit Agnes with Jane, whom Agnes offers to look after while the couple visits a nearby lighthouse. Agnes softly speaks to Jane, encouraging her to confide in Agnes, offering condolences for having been brought into a world where bad things can happen, and expressing hope that Jane will live a happy life in spite of this.

Plot from Sorry, Baby (2025 film)CC BY-SA 4.0