One-Page Summary

John Mahoney, a gifted but emotionally distant surgeon, is blindsided by the sudden appearance of Violet, a vibrant and talkative little girl who claims to be his friend. No one else can see her, but she’s persistent, funny, and weirdly insightful. At first, John believes she’s a hallucination caused by stress or grief—his father just passed away, and his career has hit a wall. But Violet insists she’s real enough, and that she’s here because he needs something, even if he can’t admit it.

Violet’s presence begins disrupting John’s routines and defenses. At home, she insists on a dinner plate of her own. At a diner, she forces him to play guessing games with sugar packets. And during a tense weekend at his childhood home, surrounded by his chaotic extended family, Violet becomes both a confidant and a provocateur—encouraging him to stay present rather than flee. She’s mischievous but sincere, pushing him to speak up, to forgive, to rejoin the messiness of the living. Through her, John begins to reconnect with the playful and empathetic parts of himself that have long been buried under years of control and avoidance.

As the weekend builds toward his father’s funeral and the writing of a dreaded eulogy, John must decide whether to remain locked in the isolation that once kept him safe—or embrace a more vulnerable, less certain version of adulthood. Violet may not be real in the traditional sense, but her impact on John’s life is undeniable. And when she begins to fade, John realizes that her mission—to bring him back to life—may finally be complete.