Don't Look Now

Don't Look Now Summary | Detailed Summary

As the story begins, John and Laura, his wife, are having lunch in a café in Torcello, a small town outside of Venice, Italy. During their meal, John notices two women at a nearby table who appear to be watching them. He tells Laura what he sees and the two of them launch into a humorous discussion of who they think these women are and what they are doing in Italy, a game they typically play when on vacation. John soon realizes that the women are twins.

We also learn that John and Laura have recently experienced some sort of personal tragedy and are using this vacation to help heal a particularly painful emotional wound. John is relieved that he is able to get Laura to laugh and hopes that this is a sign that she is beginning to feel better and that she is putting whatever has happened in their past behind her.

Before long, one of the women gets up from her table and heads toward the restroom. Laura decides to follow her to see if she can learn anything more about the woman. As the woman passes, she is described as being in her middle sixties, tall with angular features and close-cropped hair.

As John waits for Laura to return, he has a cigarette and finishes the last of the wine. We also learn that the tragedy they had experienced is the loss of a child, a little girl. At the time of the child's death, John was told by doctors that it would take a great deal of time for Laura to get over the loss, yet John believes that Laura will never recover.

As he is waiting for Laura to return, John notices the twin of the woman who had gone to the restroom staring at him from her table. John describes the stare as uncomfortable and feels as though the woman's eyes are penetrating him. John smiles at the woman, but she doesn't break her stare. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable and looking for a distraction, John calls for the waiter to bring the check and when he finally looks at the woman again, she appears to be sleeping.

Noticing Laura has been gone for more than ten minutes, John begins to think of how he can tease her about her prolonged trip to the restroom. As he begins to construct an outlandish scenario, he notices the older woman returning from the restroom. Reaching her table, she helps her twin to her feet and the two leave the café.

Laura emerges a moment later and immediately, John notices that something is wrong. Helping Laura back to the table, he asks if she is ill. As he does, he notices that Laura's expression changes from shock to exaltation. She tells John that while in the restroom, the woman approached her and explained that her sister, who is blind, is a psychic. During their meal, the sister said she "saw" their dead daughter, Christine, happily sitting between John and Laura at lunch.

Hoping to provide a distraction, John tells Laura that he has already paid the bill and so they are free to go and continue their sightseeing before having to head back to Venice. Too excited by all that has happened, Laura doesn't respond to John's suggestion and insists on telling John about her encounter in the restroom.

Laura senses that John does not believe her. Not wanting to upset his wife, John tells Laura that he believes what she is saying and that he is only upset because she seems to be upset. Laura insists that she is not upset, rather, she feels as if the sadness she has been experiencing since their daughter's death has finally lifted and she can allow herself to fell happy again.

Laura then goes on to explain that the two women are from Edinburgh, Scotland. The woman Laura spoke with is a retired doctor. Her sister, who has studied the occult all her life and claims to have psychic powers, lost her eyesight in the recent past and since then, has been able to "see" things. In fact, when the woman described her vision of Christine, she described a specific dress that little girl wore to a birthday party shortly before she died.

As Laura has a cigarette, John concedes that if this encounter brought Laura a sense of peace and happiness, then it was probably worth the unease it brought him. While he couldn't account for Laura's experience on a scientific level, he believes that it did occur exactly as Laura described. Even so, he finds himself wishing they had picked a different spot for lunch so that the encounter could have been avoided.

Hoping that this would be the last encounter with these women, John casually asks Laura if she had made any arrangements to meet with them again. Laura assures John that she has no further reason to speak with them and suggests they continue with their sightseeing.

Leaving the restaurant, John and Laura set out for a cathedral they wish to tour, however, John finds himself deeply troubled by all that has happened and is unable to concentrate and appreciate the beautiful architecture. On a whim, he turns around to see the elderly twins. Fearful that Laura will see them as well, John finds himself to be enormously relieved when he spots the twins leaving the cathedral.

John's relief soon gives way to anger and he begins to resent the women for the effect they seem to have had on his wife. Suspecting they are up to no good, he begins to worry that the women have specifically singled out Laura and will prey upon her vulnerability.

Finding himself increasingly frustrated, he abandons their sightseeing tour and takes Laura for a walk along the canal. Sitting to rest along the water's edge, Laura asks John if he thinks their daughter is with them, just as the elderly women said. Not wanting to upset Laura any further, he says that if Laura feel's Christine is there, and then she must be. Feeling restless, Laura suggests they head back. John suspects she wants to look for the old women and tries to distract her by suggesting they buy some souvenirs.

On their way back to Venice, Laura remarks to John that she has had a lovely day and that she feels as if she can finally begin to enjoy their vacation.

Relieved at this news, John suggests having dinner at a new restaurant, rather than the place they typically dine.

Back in their hotel room, the couple makes love for the first time in several weeks. Afterwards, Laura comments that she is not very hungry and suggests they eat in the hotel dining room. John protests, saying he is in a particularly good mood and wants to celebrate. Laura relents and the two set out in search of a restaurant.

After walking for a time, Laura begins to sense that they may become lost and suggests they turn back and return to the more heavily traveled streets. John insists his instincts will guide them and that they will be fine.

Walking in a desolate area, Laura becomes increasingly uncomfortable and implores John to turn back. They press on, and as they are about to turn down an alley-way, they hear a cry. Laura is frightened and John tries to assure her by saying it was probably the cry of a drunken person. Laura nonetheless hurries away, however, John spots a small figure, quite possibly a little girl, creeping from the cellar of one of the houses on the opposite side of the street. The figure leaps through several boats before disappearing again into another house.

Just as the figure disappears, Laura returns to see why John didn't follow her. John is glad that Laura does not witness this as he is sure that the sight of the little girl would have greatly troubled her. They walk a little further and finally reach a familiar area. They find a restaurant and go inside. John orders two drinks, then looks around the restaurant and is shocked to see the elderly twin women on the opposite side of the room.

Angry that the women were there, John wonders if Laura had pre-arranged to meet them. Hoping to distract Laura so that she would notice the women, John suggests taking a drive the next day to Padua to see St. Anthony's tomb. He soon realizes, however, that Laura has seen the women and appears to be genuinely surprised.

Laura wants to speak to the women so she can tell them about the wonderful day she has had. John protests, saying their drinks have just arrived and they haven't had a chance to order their meal. Still, Laura is determined, and, asking John to order her scampi, leaves the table to visit with the old women.

John remains seated at their table. He orders a second drink and then their dinner. Laura remains with the twins, heavily engaged in conversation. Their meal arrives, and John, feeling the effect of his two drinks, pokes at his food. Laura returns to the table, and without saying a word, begins to eat her meal. They eat in silence and only after Laura finishes her meal, does she speak.

While she acknowledges that John will probably not believe what she has to say, Laura tells him that the old women reported having another "vision" of their daughter. This time, however, they said their daughter had a specific message: that they would be in danger if they remained in Venice.

John becomes even angrier, feeling that the sisters are trying to control their lives. He doesn't respond to Laura's discovery until she implores him to speak. Frustrated, John refers to the women as freaks and tells Laura that he believes the sisters have "suckered" her.

Laura suggests that John go speak with the women so that he might learn for himself that they are both sincere and legitimate. She also tells John that the women believe he is psychic as well. Not wanting to hear any more, John signals for the bill and suggests they return to the hotel so they can decide whether or not they should leave Venice as suggested. Before leaving, Laura goes back to the old women to say good-bye.

John and Laura return to their hotel and as Laura walks toward the elevator, John retrieves the room key from the night-porter. He is also given a telegram that arrived while they were at dinner. The telegram contains notification that their son, Johnnie, who is at boarding school, has taken ill. Laura decides that this is the message their daughter was trying to deliver.

The next morning, John and Laura call the boarding school and learn that Johnnie is suffering from appendicitis and may face surgery. While the headmaster's doesn't feel that Johnnie's life is in danger, she does recommend that they return home. After some discussion, John and Laura decide that Laura will fly home that evening and John will follow by train. Laura goes off to make the necessary travel arrangements with the hotel porter while John attempts to pack their belongings.

After Laura leaves for the airport, John goes to the hotel terrace for lunch before departing for the train station in Milan. As he rides away from the hotel in a ferry shuttle bound for the train station, John finds himself lost in thoughts about past trips he and Laura have taken to Venice and wonders when they might return. As he reminisces, he notices another ferry boat filled with passengers just beginning their trip, heading toward the hotel. Among the passengers on that boat are Laura and the elderly twins.

John is too startled to speak and so does not call out to Laura as she passes. Assuming Laura has missed her flight and was returning to the hotel so that they could travel together by train, John decides to call the hotel as soon as his ferry docks so that he can leave word for Laura that he will be returning to get her.

Arriving back at the hotel, John is surprised that his wife is not waiting for him. Even more disturbing to John is that the clerk hasn't seen her either. The manager offers to telephone the airport to see if the flight was indeed cancelled. As the telephone call is being placed, John wonders what could possibly have happened. The manager returns and reports that the flight took off as scheduled.

John goes outside to have a cigarette and contemplate all that has happened. He is particularly troubled by the fact that the elderly twins were with Laura and he wonders if they had any role in her disappearance. He decides to see if he can locate the sisters.

The first place he goes is the restaurant where they had dinner the previous night. Although the restaurant's proprietor remembers seeing the women, he does not know their names. Not knowing where else to turn, he decides to go to the police.

While waiting, he speaks with a couple who were victims of a purse-snatching. While talking with this couple, John learns that there is a murderer loose in Venice that has slashed the throats of at least two victims.

When John finally is escorted into an inner office, he recounts his story to the officer. The police officer listens to his story and gets a detailed description of the elderly twins. The officer suggests that John return to the hotel and wait for word from them.

John returns to the hotel and requests a room for the night. Once inside, he asks the bell-hop to bring him a double-whisky which he intends to drink before placing another call to Johnnie's school. Before he can make the call, however, the telephone rings. The call is from the headmaster's wife and she reports that Johnnie has come through his surgery well and is resting comfortably. She then tells John that Laura is waiting to speak with him.

John is shocked, but he manages to tell Laura that he is still in Venice. Laura senses that he his drunk and so John confesses that he was sure he has seen Laura with the elderly twins heading back to the hotel. He recounts the day's events to her before promising to travel to Milan the next day to begin the journey home.

After hanging up, John tries to make sense of all that has happened, including the fact that he is sure that he had seen Laura with the sisters on a ferry heading back to the hotel. He knows he needs to tell the hotel manager that Laura has been located and that she is safe, but he is embarrassed. He eventually decides to have dinner and a drink, hoping that will give him the courage to face the manager.

Following dinner, John makes his way to the hotel lobby where he finds a police officer waiting. The officer tells him that the elderly twins have been located. John tells them that he has located his wife and apologizes for the needless work and anxiety. Sensing that the police officer is agitated, John offers to accompany him back to the station to apologize to the twins in person.

The sisters are gracious about the mix-up and request that they are allowed to return to their hotel. John offers to walk with them so that he can explain precisely what happened. John again explains all that has transpired since the previous night. The twin tells John that her sister believes he is psychic. As proof of this, she suggests that John's sighting of Laura on the ferry was actually a vision of something that will happen in the future.

The twin tells John that they will be in Venice for another ten days before departing for Scotland. John gives them their address in London and invites them to visit should their travels bring them in that direction. As John turns to leave, the psychic twin utters words about John and Laura's dead daughter, which the other twin explains is a sign that she is entering a trance state. John helps to get her inside and then sets out for his hotel.

As he walks, he realizes that he is not familiar with the area, but believes he isn't far from the area he and Laura had traveled through the previous evening. As he walks through the desolate streets, he catches sight of the same small figure he saw the previous night, only this time, she was being chased by a man. He contemplates turning and walking in the opposite direction, but afraid the child is in danger, he instead decides to follow her. He eventually follows the figure into a room and bolts the door behind him, confident that he has saved the child from harm. It is only then that he realizes that the figure isn't a child at all, but an adult dwarf. As the police reach the door and attempt to gain entry, the dwarf reaches into her sleeve, draws a knife and throws it at him.

As John lay dying, he realizes that he is indeed psychic and that his vision of Laura on the ferry is actually her making the sad trip back to Venice to claim his body.