Plot Analysis Summary
Interconnected lives across centuries explore reincarnation, moral consequences, and the enduring impact of human actions.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Slavery & Compassion
Adam Ewing witnesses injustice aboard a ship and confronts a treacherous doctor. He and his wife Tilda commit to the abolition movement, setting a moral foundation for the narrative.
Key Events
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Whipping Witness — Ewing observes enslaved man whipped and decides to intervene. Characters: Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam / Zachry Brother-in-Law, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Chatham Islands
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Poisoning Plot — Doctor attempts to poison Ewing to steal his wealth. Characters: Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam / Zachry Brother-in-Law, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Ship
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Abolition Departure — Couple denounces slavery and travels to New York. Characters: Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam / Zachry Brother-in-Law, Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute
Location: San Francisco
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Amanuensis Work — Frobisher copies music for Ayrs while composing secretly. Characters: Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman, Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Location: Villa
Art & Betrayal
Robert Frobisher works as an amanuensis for Vyvyan Ayrs while secretly composing. Ayrs demands credit, leading to a violent confrontation and Frobisher's tragic suicide.
Key Events
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Amanuensis Work — Frobisher copies music for Ayrs while composing secretly. Characters: Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman, Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Location: Villa
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Sextet Theft Demand — Ayrs demands credit and threatens to expose Frobisher. Characters: Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman, Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Location: Villa
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Suicide & Sextet — Frobisher completes his masterpiece and takes his own life. Characters: Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman, Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Location: Villa
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Nuclear Warning — Sixsmith warns Rey of reactor sabotage conspiracy. Characters: Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym, Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Location: San Francisco
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Scientist Murder — Hitman assassinates Sachs to destroy evidence. Characters: Haskell Moore / Tadeusz Kesselring / Bill Smoke / Nurse Noakes / Boardman Mephi / Old Georgie, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Street
Conspiracy & Survival
Luisa Rey investigates a nuclear sabotage plot warned by Old Rufus Sixsmith. She faces assassination attempts from Bill Smoke and relies on Isaac Sachs for evidence.
Key Events
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Scientist Murder — Hitman assassinates Sachs to destroy evidence. Characters: Haskell Moore / Tadeusz Kesselring / Bill Smoke / Nurse Noakes / Boardman Mephi / Old Georgie, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Street
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Car Chase & Escape — Smoke runs Rey's car off bridge, she survives the crash. Characters: Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym, Haskell Moore / Tadeusz Kesselring / Bill Smoke / Nurse Noakes / Boardman Mephi / Old Georgie
Location: Bridge
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Conspiracy Exposed — Rey obtains report copy and plans public exposure. Characters: Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Office
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Critic Murder — Hoggins kills critic, brothers pressure Cavendish for profits. Characters: Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry, Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Location: London
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Nursing Home Trap — Cavendish signs into nursing home instead of hotel. Characters: Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Aurora House
Oppression & Rebellion
Timothy Cavendish is trapped in a nursing home by criminal threats. Meanwhile, Sonmi-451 discovers the horrifying truth about fabricants and broadcasts her rebellion.
Key Events
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Nursing Home Trap — Cavendish signs into nursing home instead of hotel. Characters: Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2, Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Location: Aurora House
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Escape & Writing — Cavendish escapes residents and writes screenplay about ordeal. Characters: Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2, Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Location: Aurora House
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Rebellion Ideas — Yoona exposes Sonmi to rebellion ideas and banned media. Characters: Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute, Talbot / Hotel Manager / Yoona-939 / Rose
Location: Neo Seoul
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Food Recycling Truth — Hae-Joo reveals fabricants are recycled into food. Characters: Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute, Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam / Zachry Brother-in-Law
Location: Facility
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Public Broadcast — Sonmi broadcasts truth before authorities attack. Characters: Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute, Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Location: Studio
Apocalypse & Rebirth
Zachry guides Meronym to a communication station amid tribal warfare. After surviving the Kona attack, they depart for a new world, closing the cycle.
Key Events
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Public Broadcast — Sonmi broadcasts truth before authorities attack. Characters: Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute, Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Location: Studio
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Execution — Sonmi recounts story and is executed by state. Characters: Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute, Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Location: Chamber
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Prescient Arrival — Meronym arrives seeking communication station. Characters: Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry, Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym
Location: Village
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Kona Attack — Kona tribe slaughters village, Zachry fights back. Characters: Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry, Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym
Location: Village
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Rescue & Departure — Zachry rescues niece and joins Prescients. Characters: Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry, Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym
Location: Ship
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New Life — Zachry marries Meronym and tells story to grandchildren. Characters: Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry, Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym
Location: Distant Planet
A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Based on the award winning novel by David Mitchell. Directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.
