charlie

Plot

Charlie St. Cloud (Zac Efron) is a sailor who wins a boat race along with his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan), and receives a sailing scholarship to Stanford University. Charlie graduates from high school and after getting home from his graduation ceremony, Charlie promises Sam, that they will practice baseball together every day until he leaves. Later that night, Charlie was supposed to go to a graduation party with his friends, but his mother Claire (Kim Basinger) makes him babysit Sam while she picks up another shift at her job as a nurse. When Sam is asleep, Charlie tries to sneak out and go to the party. But he is caught by Sam when he turns his fog lights on and asks Charlie to drive to his friend Tommy's house, Charlie gives in when Sam makes compliments about his car. Whilst driving, Charlie and Sam talk about Charlie's departure until they get into a bad car accident with a Mack semi-trailer. Although a paramedic named Florio Ferrente (Ray Liotta) is able to revive Charlie, Sam succumbs to his wounds, and dies in Charlie's arms. At Sam's funeral, Charlie runs off after being unable to put a baseball glove in the grave and finds Sam's spirit. Charlie keeps his promise to Sam by practicing baseball with him every day at sunset.

Five years later, Charlie, who gave up his scholarship, is now caretaker at a cemetery. During a trip into town, Charlie visits the boat docks and meets Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew), a sailor who dreams of one day sailing around the world. The following day, Charlie runs into Florio Ferrente, the paramedic who saved his life. Ferrente is dying of cancer and questions Charlie if he ever wonders why he was saved and tells him there is a reason for his gift. Charlie returns to the cemetery and finds Tess injured, with whom he develops a relationship. Meanwhile, Sam begins to feel that Charlie is forgetting him when Charlie arrives late for their game of catch. However, Tess follows Charlie as he explains to her that the more he is in her world, the less he can be in Sam's.

Later, Charlie discovers that Tess had gone missing while sailing through a storm a few days earlier, revealing that Charlie could see her just like he could Sam. Ferrente's wife Carla (Francesca in the book) comes to Charlie and tells him that Ferrente had died the previous night and to give him his lucky medallion that he wore the night Charlie was revived. However, while visiting with Sam, Charlie realizes that Tess is not dead and that there's still time to save her life. Along with his friend Alistair and Tess's coach, Charlie and the group take a boat to find Tess based on Charlie's instincts that he knows where she is. The following sunset, Charlie finally misses his game with Sam. As Charlie apologizes, Sam simply tells Charlie that he loves him and takes off as a shooting star to point out Tess' location. The group finds Tess' wrecked boat along with her lying on a rock. Charlie uses his body heat to keep themselves warm until they are eventually found.

Charlie and Tess are taken to the hospital where Alistair tells Charlie that Tess had hypothermia and that he saved her. Later, Charlie purchases an old boat and asks Tess if she would like to take a ride with him. However, Tess fears him explaining that she had been having vivid dreams about them together. Charlie tells Tess that her dreams are memories. Tess takes the chance and goes sailing with Charlie. Charlie decides to resign from his job and goes into the forest to reminisce and say farewell to an older Sam (Chris Massoglia in a deleted alternate ending scene), telling him they'll always be brothers, before leaving the forest with Tess. During the credits, Charlie and Tess finally sail around the world and say goodbye to the citizens in their town.

At the end of the credits, there is an alternative scene; the one in which Charlie realises that Tess is missing. He sits down with his guitar and writes a song about how he feels. In an earlier scene, you can hear this song playing in the background.