Q:Build a movie plot around this: Has Sarah been killed? No
A:
The first scene of the movie introduces Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) as he is watching news footage showing that Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly) has been killed in a suspected car bombing. The reporter indicates that Sarah was an activist from Chicago involved in helping refugees from the Chilean government and that her death may cast new light on the movement. Fielding is completely distraught over hearing this news and the movie begins.The first 3/4 of the movie unfolds on parallel timelines in the 70s and early 80s: the progression of Fielding & Sarah's complicated, volatile relationship and Fielding's ascension into power as an upcoming politician dealing with the recent loss (and haunting memories) of Sarah.Fielding meets Sarah as he is returning, in uniform, from duty in the Coast Guard and meeting up with his brother, who is a editor. The brother, Fielding and Sarah all go to lunch where Fielding is very ouspoken in his political ideals about current events. Sarah and Fielding are both immediately intrigued by each other, Fielding's attraction being more sexual and blatant and Sarah's attraction more of curiousity and intrigue. A few dates quickly lead to a sexual relationship despite an obvious difference in political thinking between the two. Sarah asks why Fielding wants to be a senator and his very serious reply is that he doesn't- he wants to be president. Sarah is later quoted as saying "Ambition is the ice in the lake of emotion." And when Fielding tries to comfort Sarah's fear of his Coast Guard duty leading to a Vietnam tour, she replies "but if you go over there, you'll be shooting at the guys that I want to win." Their intense love outweighs their differences, though, and their relationship quickly becomes serious.Meanwhile Fielding is a young politician being groomed to be congressman by the current govenor because of a scandal involving Jerry Carmichael 's (Ed Harris in a cameo role) resignation due to his homosexuality. Fielding seems ambivalent about the offer to be put on the...