A whirlwind romance spanning a two-week vacation in Europe seems like an absolute fever dream, and it’s hard not to be taken in by it. The Map That Leads to You and Madelyn Cline’s character, Heather, is proof of that. No matter how you plan things out, life is unpredictable and you never know when you’ll meet a captivating stranger from New Zealand named Jack (KJ Apa), who inevitably sweeps you off your feet. But a big summer fling usually it either ends really, really horribly, or ends up being one of the best, most beautiful things that’s ever happened in your life.
Most of The Map That Leads To You is one big adventure that follows Heather living her best life with her friends, and eventually joined by Jack and his friend Raef (Orlando Norman). The two fall in love and become inseparable, but once the trip comes to an end, what happens then?
Here’s a breakdown of the ending of Amazon Prime Video‘s new original film, The Map That Leads To You.
Heather gets ghosted.
One of the worst possible things to have happened after a Eurotrip romance happens to Heather. Jack had decided to give their relationship a chance, and agreed to fly with her to New York as she begins her new working girl life. They go through airport security and everything, but after he tells her that he’s going to the restroom, he never comes back.
Heather gets on the plane to JFK alone, and only gets a text from Jack once she’s aboard. “I’m really sorry.”
Of course, she doesn’t know that though Jack was putting up a worry-free, happy front, he was secretly dealing with the return of his cancer.
Heather decides New York isn’t for her.
After starting her job and living her New York City life with a big girl job in banking, Heather goes home for Christmas with her family. She has heart-to-heart conversations about her dad, who knows a thing or two about abandonment after having been left by her mother. During one of their talks, Heather says that though Jack ended up breaking her heart he did allow her to feel what it’s like to be free—of her own expectations, the pressure of making other people proud. She just lived.
She tells her father the truth, which is that she doesn’t really want to work for a bank in New York. She doesn’t quite know what she wants for herself, but it isn’t that.
Connie and Raef are engaged.
Over the holidays, Heather’s friend Connie (Sofia Wylie) announces that she and Raef are engaged, and are set to get married in the spring. Both Heather and their other bestie Amy (Madison Thompson) are supportive, and excited for this good news. Aside from asking the two to be her bridesmaids, Connie also says that the wedding will be in Barcelona—where it all began.
So the very first scene in the movie, where we see Heather wearing white in what appears to be a bridal suite in Europe, was totally a red herring. It’s actually her getting ready for Connie and Raef’s wedding.
Raef has a special delivery for Heather.
At the reception, Heather, of course, had to ask Raef about Jack. Connie had previously told her that Jack had ghosted Raef, too and hadn’t been in contact for a month since the trip. But now, Raef tells her that though he’d never RSVPed to the wedding he did send a gift and something else. It was a letter that Jack had entrusted him to give Heather, should she ask about him during the wedding.
In the letter, Jack apologizes for what he did and admits that he left her, hoping that she would hate him and move on. He didn’t want her chasing someone battling cancer, someone with an uncertain future that would likely lead to death. He also writes that he realized he was using his grandfather’s journal as an excuse to run from the truth of his disease. But, he says, he was glad that the journal ended up becoming a map that led him to Heather.
Heather heads to Santa Pau.
While reading Jack’s letter, Heather finds unintended clues as to where the love of her life might be. She remembers a conversation they had about a festival his grandfather had enjoyed witnessing in the village of Santa Pau in Spain, where it was like the people were “dancing in the face of death.” Where else would a dying man go? She packs her bags, bids her friends goodbye, and jets off to Santa Pau.
Lo and behold, Heather finds Jack in the middle of the crowd. He was completely surprised that she had found him, and repeats what he said in the letter. He doesn’t want her to commit to something with an uncertain future, something that might just end badly. But Heather tells him, “I’m here now, and I love you, and I want to dance.”
Will Heather and Jack get a happily-ever-after?
Well, that’s hard to say. The movie ends with the two kissing and enjoying the time they have now, in Santa Pau. There’s no talk of what happens next, where they’re going, how Jack’s going to get treated, or what Heather wants to do with her life and career. There’s not even a post-credits scene! Basically, we get one hell of a cliffhanger.
The book that the film is based on, written by JP Monninger, also does not have a sequel. So it seems like a second movie to follow-up on the two lovebirds is highly unlikely. But if you want to relive this adventurous romance, you can certainly rewatch the movie or read the book.
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