Wild Nights with Emily

As a fledgling poet, Emily Dickinson (Emily) first laid eyes on Susan Gilbert at an Amherst Shakespeare Society recitation, where their youthful energy sparked a connection. The seeds of romance were sown during a scene where they played star-crossed lovers, culminating in a tender kiss strolling under the evening sky. Emily's family then embarked on a month-long journey, leaving her and Susan to continue their clandestine affair, hidden from prying eyes.

When Susan secured a teaching position out west, their love was sustained through a barrage of passionate letters exchanged between the two. But little did Emily know that Susan had been secretly betrothed to her own brother, Austin, a union born from financial necessity rather than romantic inclination. Susan's apology and explanation revealed that by marrying into the family, they could construct a house adjacent to Emily's, safeguarding their true feelings.

Two decades later, Emily and Susan found themselves living next door to each other, their love still simmering beneath the surface. The couple's children served as unwitting messengers, delivering countless notes between the two households. Emily would often share her latest poetic creations with Susan, inscribed on scraps of paper or tucked away in recipe margins – many bearing Susan's name as inspiration. In her free time, Emily cultivated a lush garden and baked sweet treats for the neighborhood children.

However, a period of radio silence from Susan left Emily feeling neglected. Her loneliness was briefly assuaged by the arrival of Kate Scott Turner, a recently widowed friend who seemed more interested in Emily than Susan. Kate's sudden departure left Emily regretting the missed opportunity to bid her farewell and present the pair of garters she had sewn with love.

Emily's solitude was soon disrupted by the eccentric Judge Otis Phillips Lords, whose confusions about the Brontë sisters (mistakingly referring to "Wuthering Jane") and propensity for falling asleep mid-conversation left Emily both perplexed and amused. As he stumbled out of her home, Emily reached out to assist him – only to find herself momentarily entwined with Susan as she entered the scene.

As Thomas Wentworth Higginson (character) pays a visit to Emily Dickinson, she is met with a dose of reality regarding her poetic endeavors. With gentle yet firm guidance, he corrects her perception of poetry's purpose, elucidating the distinct differences between women's and men's writing styles. The keen-eyed editor even takes it upon himself to critique one of her poems, offering constructive feedback that leaves Emily feeling uncertain about its readiness for publication.

Meanwhile, Mabel Todd arrives at Emily's doorstep under the guise of a piano performance invitation, only to be surprised by the maid's announcement that she will play alone in the drawing room while Emily writes upstairs. It is during this visit that Mabel and Austin begin an affair, their shameless public displays causing Emily to retreat to her room to avoid the uncomfortable situations. As their relationship deepens, they often seek solace at Emily's house, which only exacerbates the poet's desire for solitude.

As Emily's health begins to decline, she suddenly passes away, leaving behind a legacy of unfinished work. In the aftermath of her passing, Mabel discovers a treasure trove of Emily's poems and letters, but it is not until she peruses the contents that she realizes many of the most exquisite pieces are addressed to Susan (character). Recognizing an opportunity to shape Emily's literary reputation in her own image, Mabel enlists Austin's help in erasing all instances of "Susan" from the texts, replacing them with masculine names instead.

Years later, as Emily's work achieves widespread acclaim, Mabel takes the stage at a society gathering, regaling the audience with tales of Emily's eccentric nature. She recounts the sole occasion she saw Emily's face - during her funeral - and explains that her poems must have been directed towards Judge Otis. Furthermore, she reveals that Emily added titles to all her poems to provide context for her readers. However, a different narrative emerges when Emily's niece delivers a lecture about her aunt's secret romantic entanglements with her mother.

The film concludes by shedding light on Mabel's erasures and revealing the truth: Emily's love letters were indeed penned to Susan (character), their tender sentiments finally laid bare for all to see.