A Plot Synopsis of the Movie ‘Verity’
Plot Synopsis written by Michael Lee
*All Media used in this article is courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios
Official Trailer: ‘Verity’ (2026)
Plot Synopsis
Anne Hathaway as Verity Crawford and Josh Hartnett as Jeremy Crawford in ‘Verity’ • Photo Courtesy of Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios
Lowen Ashleigh, a published author living in New York City, is grieving her mother's death from cancer while struggling to attract a wider audience for her work. She is approached by a publisher searching for someone to finish a popular novel series by bestselling author Verity Crawford, whose books are written from the perspectives of immoral villains. Verity has been left catatonic after a near-fatal car accident, a fact being kept from the public so fans will not assume the series has ended.
‘Verity’ Featurette: “Inside Verity” • Video Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Verity's husband, Jeremy, is also grieving the recent death of their young daughter, Harper, who drowned in a canoeing accident. He encourages Lowen to accept the job, telling her that Verity had read and admired her work.
Anne Hathaway as Verity Crawford in ‘Verity’ • Photo Courtesy of Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios
Lowen agrees and moves into the Crawford family's lakeside Vermont home with Jeremy, Verity, and Harper's twin brother, Crew. Because Verity's office remains intact, Lowen is able to study her extensive notes while planning the next book in the series.
‘Verity’ Film Clip: “A Brilliant Undiscovered Voice” • Video Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
During her research, she discovers an unfinished autobiographical manuscript in which Verity describes her obsessive love for Jeremy and her growing resentment toward their children, whom she came to see as competition for his attention. Horrified by what she reads, Lowen initially stops halfway through the manuscript.
Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh in ‘Verity’ • Photo Courtesy of Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios
At the same time, she begins noticing unsettling signs that Verity may not be as incapacitated as she appears. Lowen occasionally catches her looking directly at her or seemingly reacting when no one else is watching, although she begins to question whether she is imagining these moments.
‘Verity’ Film Clip: “Meeting Verity” • Video Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
After successfully outlining the next novel, Lowen prepares to begin writing. She and Jeremy grow increasingly close and eventually begin an affair. Jeremy later admits that Verity never actually read Lowen's work; he had read it himself and felt a deep connection to her writing, but claimed Verity was the admirer because he believed the praise would mean more coming from a bestselling author.
Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh in ‘Verity’ • Photo Courtesy of Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios
Lowen eventually returns to Verity's manuscript and discovers an even more disturbing confession. Verity claims that she deliberately capsized the canoe in an attempt to drown both of her children so she could have Jeremy's attention entirely to herself. Crew survived only because he could swim, while Harper drowned. The manuscript ends with Verity planning to kill herself in a car crash before she can face legal consequences.
‘Verity’ Film Clip: “Say Something” • Video Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Convinced the manuscript is genuine, Lowen confronts Verity and threatens to expose her to the police, telling her that she intends to take her family and career from her. Lowen also questions Crew about Harper's death. Although he refuses to explain what happened, he implies that Verity still speaks to him despite supposedly being catatonic.
Lowen finally shows Jeremy the manuscript. Enraged, he confronts Verity, who suddenly reveals that she has been faking her catatonia. Jeremy begins strangling her, but Lowen stops him and suggests suffocating her instead so her death can be made to look accidental. After killing Verity, they place her body in the lake and tell police that she must have awakened from her catatonic state, wandered outside in confusion, and accidentally drowned.
‘Verity’ Film Clip: “So Be It” • Video Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Seven months later, Lowen has published the next installment in Verity's series and is pregnant with Jeremy's daughter. As she and Jeremy prepare to leave the Vermont house, Lowen discovers a handwritten letter Verity had addressed to Jeremy in case she and Crew ever managed to escape.
Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh in ‘Verity’ • Photo Courtesy of Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios
In the letter, Verity insists that the autobiography was fictional—a writing exercise she created to help process her grief. She claims she never resented her children, that Harper's death was genuinely accidental, and that she never intended to kill herself. Verity also alleges that Jeremy found the manuscript and believed it was true. In response, he drugged her, placed her inside her car, and used a brick to hold down the accelerator in an attempt to kill her and make her death appear to be suicide.
‘Verity’ Film Clip: “Resting Bored Face” • Video Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Verity survived the crash but, fearing that Jeremy would either turn her over to the police or try to kill her again, began pretending to be catatonic so he would believe she could no longer expose what he had done.
Photo Courtesy of Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios
Lowen destroys the letter rather than showing it to Jeremy and chooses to continue her life with him, Crew, and their unborn daughter. However, she is left uncertain about what really happened—and whether Verity's manuscript or her final letter contained the truth.
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