Character Relationship Map: Valentine

Characters

• Paige Prescott (played by Denise Richards) — protagonist

  Paige is one of the popular girls who cruelly rejected the traumatized boy at the school dance. Years later, she remains close to Kate, tries to separate Kate from Adam, and attends the investigation...

• Adam Carr (played by David Boreanaz) — protagonist

  Adam is Kate’s boyfriend, a journalist and recovering alcoholic whose drinking makes him appear suspicious after the murders begin. He follows Kate to Dorothy’s estate, shoots the masked killer when K...

• Kate Davies (played by Marley Shelton) — supporting

  Kate is the only popular girl who responds politely when the traumatized boy asks her to dance. As an adult, she remains connected to Paige, Lily, and Dorothy while investigating the threats and murde...

• Dorothy Wheeler (played by Jessica Capshaw) — supporting

  Dorothy was the awkward, overweight friend who accepted the traumatized boy’s invitation before falsely claiming that he attacked her. As an adult, she confesses the lie but secretly becomes the maske...

• Lily Voight (played by Jessica Cauffiel) — supporting

  Lily was one of the popular girls who rejected the traumatized boy at the school dance. Years later, she is dating artist Max and joins Kate, Paige, and Dorothy after Shelley’s death. The masked kille...

• Shelley Fisher (played by Katherine Heigl) — supporting

  Shelley was the first of the popular girls to cruelly reject the traumatized boy. Thirteen years later, she is a medical student at UCLA and has an unsuccessful date with Jason. After returning to her...

• Jason Marquette (played by Adam J. Harrington) — minor

  Jason goes on an unsuccessful date with Shelley shortly before she returns to her laboratory and is murdered. Because of his connection to Shelley and the threatening events, he becomes one of the sus...

• Gary Taylor (played by Claude Duhamel) — minor

  Gary is Kate’s neighbor and invades her privacy by breaking into her apartment to wear her underwear. His disturbing behavior makes him another threatening presence around Kate, but the masked killer...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jason Marquette → Shelley Fisher (Romantic Date) — Their unsuccessful date precedes Shelley's murder and makes Jason a suspect.

  Shelley returns to her laboratory after an unsuccessful date with Jason.

• Adam Carr → Kate Davies (Romantic Boyfriend) — Their relationship is strained by Adam's drinking and Kate's suspicion, but he saves her from the killer.

  The plot identifies Adam as Kate's boyfriend. At the end, he tells her that he has always loved her.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Gary Taylor → Kate Davies (Social Neighbor) — Gary's invasive behavior threatens Kate's privacy.

  Gary is Kate's neighbor and breaks into her apartment to wear her underwear.

• Lily Voight → Shelley Fisher (Social Friend) — They share a social circle whose members are targeted by the killer.

  Lily and Shelley are among the women connected through the school-dance history and are questioned together after Shelley's funeral.

• Kate Davies → Lily Voight (Social Friend) — Kate is part of Lily's circle and becomes concerned when Lily disappears.

  Kate, Lily, Paige, and Dorothy are questioned together after Shelley's funeral, and Kate later learns Lily did not arrive in Los Angeles.

• Paige Prescott → Lily Voight (Social Friend) — They belong to the same group of former friends drawn together by the threats.

  Paige and Lily are among the women questioned together after Shelley's death and attend the events connected to the investigation.

• Adam Carr → Dorothy Wheeler (Conflict Adversaries) — Adam stops Dorothy from killing Kate.

  When the masked killer jumps out at Kate, Adam shoots the attacker; the mask reveals Dorothy.

• Dorothy Wheeler → Shelley Fisher (Social Former Friend) — Their shared school history connects Shelley to the revenge plot.

  Shelley is one of the girls who rejected the boy at the school dance, and Dorothy later targets her former friends; Shelley is killed by the masked st...

• Dorothy Wheeler → Lily Voight (Social Former Friend) — Their former social connection becomes part of the killer's revenge.

  Lily is among the women questioned after Shelley's death, and the plot identifies Dorothy as the killer who targets her former friends.

• Dorothy Wheeler → Paige Prescott (Social Former Friend) — A shared past friendship turns into a lethal conflict.

  Dorothy confesses to Kate and Paige that she fabricated her story about the boy at the school dance. Paige is later killed at Dorothy's party.

• Dorothy Wheeler → Kate Davies (Social Former Friend) — Their friendship is undermined by Dorothy's past deception and her later attack on Kate.

  Dorothy joins Kate and the other women after Shelley's death, confesses her earlier lie to Kate and Paige, and later accuses Kate during the party.

• Paige Prescott → Kate Davies (Social Friend) — Paige is Kate's close friend and seeks to influence her relationship with Adam.

  Years later, Paige remains close to Kate and attends the investigation and events surrounding the threats with her.

Story Analysis

A history of cruelty and deception resurfaces as a masked killer targets a group of former friends, culminating in the revelation that Dorothy is the murderer.

Plot Progression

1. The Lie That Endures — At a school dance, several girls reject a boy, while Dorothy accepts his invitation. After the boys mock them, Dorothy falsely accuses him, and the accusations lead to his expulsion and institutionali...
2. Cards From the Past — Thirteen years later, Shelley is murdered after receiving a threatening Valentine's card. The women reunite around the investigation and begin receiving cards signed JM.
3. The Circle Narrows — At Max's exhibit, Lily is killed, and the women disclose their shared history to the investigation. Dorothy confesses that her accusation was false, while Kate discovers that the records have vanished...
4. Blood at the Estate — Dorothy's Valentine's party becomes the setting for further killings. Kate learns Lily may also be dead and finds Vaughan's severed head, intensifying her suspicion of Adam.
5. The Mask Comes Off — Kate flees Adam and finds a gun, but the masked killer attacks her. Adam shoots the attacker, revealing Dorothy, then tells Kate he has always loved her.